Rising to Destiny
by Anya1
Summary: Prequel to Family History From the beginning, Yugioh and Ruia lives have been predetermined. With the fate of a civilization riding on their shoulders, can the two put differences aside and fulfill the prophecy of becoming the Divine Family?
1. Birth Ceremony of Life

Disclaimer: I do not own Yugioh, but I own Ruia/Raya.   
  
*READ PLEASE*  
  
Anya: Hi everyone! This is just a quick explanation on how the prequel is going to work. This is not your typically story, rather it is going to look at key moments in both Yami (Yugioh) and Raya's (Ruia) lives. It was just easier that way. Also, if you are a new reader and haven't read Family History, don't worry. I tried to write this story in a way where it wouldn't be confusing for you. So in all practicality, you really don't have to read Family History to understand this one. And for everyone who has read Family History, don't worry, the events you read here will still follow what was set up in Family History, but with a spin. Hope you all enjoy!  
  
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Sekhmet flipped through images of children with the flick of her wrist. She sighed as she found something wrong with each candidate; some weren't mentally strong enough, others were already too old, and some just wasn't well right for the realm she was granting. So far, not one person even came close to matching her standards. She sighed to herself, blowing a piece of her golden hair out her azure eyes and continued to search. She had been at this for weeks now with no results to show for it. Ra wasn't going to be pleased.  
  
"Difficulties Sekhmet?" a voice behind her asked.  
  
She whipped around and came face to face with the almighty sun god himself. "Ra," she gasped, dropping to her knees in respect. Sekhmet may have been a goddess herself, but you still showed respect to those more powerful, like Ra.  
  
Ra smiled. "Arise child. I see that you still have not found a candidate for the ceremony."  
  
Inwardly, Sekhmet flinched. Over two months ago, she had been given the task of finding a child worthy of the powers that she and Ra were going to grant at ceremony. It was a disgrace to have found no dependent yet. She turned back to the pictures she had been viewing. "No Ra, I have not. Not one child I have seen could ever begin to handle the powers that I would grant them."  
  
"Maybe your standards are just too high. I have already found my chosen protégé for the Divine Ceremony. You need to find one soon Sekhmet, the ceremony is in two days." Ra gently scowled. He took a seat next to the goddess of war and protection. Ra watched as Sekhmet continued her search. Though he was upset that she hadn't found an heir yet, so to speak, he had to admire her dedication. Sekhmet really wanted to find the perfect choice; other goddesses would have just randomly picked someone. 'Which is why you decided that Sekhmet do the honors at this years ceremony. She would actually pick someone worthy of the honor. Which is why I didn't want let Tefnut choose again. I should have known better than let the goddess of destruction pick. Egypt barely survived last time. But I know my daughter will choose better.' Ra thought to himself.  
  
"Oh have you? Care to inform your daughter on your choice? Maybe it would help me decided." Sekhmet replied, straightening her gown out.   
  
"You know the rules Sem," calling the goddess by her pet name, "I can not reveal my decision till the party just like you can not reveal yours...that is, if you ever find one." Ra replied with a small smile.  
  
Sekhmet threw her hands up in frustration. "That isn't funny Ra. You of all gods should know how important this ceremony is. The Divine Power is granted only once every millennium and if we make the wrong decision then the whole Egyptian culture will suffer greatly. Do I need to remind you what happened in Rome with their Divine Ceremony? One bad choice and their whole empire practically collapsed! Do we really want that type of a disaster to happen here?" Sekhmet stood and paced around the temple floor. She wasn't concerned that another god or goddess would over hear her concerns. It didn't matter that much.  
  
"Of course not," Ra stated. "That is the last thing in the world that I want. But the ceremony needs two people to complete, not one. And until you find one Sem, we are in much distress. Egypt cannot afford to over look this ceremony again. Greece or Rome would surely take advantage our situation once again."  
  
She sighed, expelling all the fears and doubts that had built upside in her. She placed a hand on her forehead and rubbed hard. "Then you understand why I hesitate in choosing someone. The powers we are granting are very strong, which means we need someone who is not only capable of handing them, but the responsibilities as well. After all, they will have to look over this whole country. Not to mention the third divinity."  
  
"Agreed and I will admit it took me some time to find the one I sought as well." Ra confessed. He knew he could tell Sekhmet anything and not have to worry about her making a big deal of it. Though this ceremony certain was just that. "You are correct by saying that person we choose has to be strong both mentally and emotional. I will not lie, our protégés will be tempted by the darker forces many times in their lives and if they fall..."  
  
"Then all of Egypt is lost, yes I am aware. This is why I haven't chosen a follower of mine. Most of my legions are believers in my side of war, not of protection...that is the main characteristic I am looking for. Someone who will not want to make war but rather protect."  
  
"And you have found no one that fits this requirement?"  
  
Sekhmet flicked her wrist again and the picture in front of her changed from a young teenage girl to a young girl. "No, however I refuse to give up, I know my protégé is out there somewhere. I just have to find her and soon."  
  
Ra stood up, white robes brushing against the stone floor of Sekhmet's temple. "I will leave you to your work. Just remember Sem, you only have two days left. You may not find that perfect candidate. She may have flaws and we are just going to have to deal with that and hope for the best of the country."  
  
"I understand Ra. I will have a decision by the time the ceremony begins. You have my word as a goddess on this."  
  
Ra nodded and left the room. He had no doubts in his mind that Sekhmet would find someone; he just hoped it was someone who was worthy enough.  
  
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Fire crackled around two small pits made of round gray stones. In the center of them, was a large golden altar, crested with the many symbols of Egyptian life. It glistened from rays of light from the moon. Khonsu grinned at the sight. He was one of the few gods that was associated with the beautiful sight that was the moon. He glanced around the field that was to host the ceremony. Many of his fellow Egyptian gods and goddesses had turned out for the Divine Ceremony. It was a special night for all. But at the same time, a most alarming one as well. Word had come from Greece that Chronos, the Greek god of Time, had foreseen that this Divinity period would bring much unneeded darkness and if the wrong candidates were chosen…Khonsu didn't even want to finish the thought. 'Nothing will happen. Ra and Sekhmet are choosing our light and dark. And I know that they will chose correctly. Our civilization won't fall.' His gaze settled on Sekhmet who was pacing off to the side of altar. Her shadows danced around the fire. Her husband Ptah tried to soothe the young goddess, but nothing would calm her raging soul. Khonsu had heard that Sekhmet had difficult choosing her protégé, only picking hers hours ago.   
  
"Everything rides on this ceremony tonight. Our way of life and our sense of harmony."  
  
Khonsu turned to sound of voice. At seeing Maat, he let out a small breathe. Many of the gods and goddess had been doubting Sekhmet's abilities in choosing a worthy protégé, but at least Maat as well as a few others gave the goddess of war a chance. Maat was only speaking truthfully, not judgmental. "This is fact. But we can not dismiss that Sekhmet is also the goddess of protection. She will make the right choice. We have nothing to fear."  
  
Maat tossed her black hair over her shoulder. Her midnight black eyes widen with surprise. "We have everything to fear Khonsu. Yes Sekhmet is capable of making such an important decision, however that doesn't mean the danger is gone. It may not even come in her protégé's lifetime. We have a hundred years to worry about, not thirty or forty."  
  
Khonsu didn't respond. He had not thought of that. "Then we need the third divinity more than ever then."  
  
"Unfortunately, that is exactly what I think. And we both know what the requirements are for the third divinity to happen." Maat whispered as if not to draw more attention to the moon and harmony god and goddess.  
  
"Right, which means Ra and Sekhmet had more to take into account than they thought."   
  
Maat ran a hand through her hair in despair and anxiousness. "I spoke briefly to Clio, the historian of Greece, hoping that the young woman could provide us with some clues to what will happen."  
  
"And what did she say?"  
  
"Nothing more than that whatever was to happen was to happen."  
  
Khonsu sighed. A gentle breeze blew his brown hair in front of his eyes, limiting his sight. 'Just like this ceremony is doing to all of us. Limiting our sight into our futures.'  
  
Maat brushed his arm slightly. "Look." she whispered.  
  
Khonsu followed her gaze to the altar. Ra had moved to the front, dressed in ceremonial white robes. Next to him, Sekhmet stood, dressed in regal ice blue. It was time for the ceremony to begin.  
  
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Ra stepped up to the altar, light from the fire casting a light glow around the god. He motioned for Sekhmet to take her place beside him then waved for the other goddesses and gods to gather around.   
  
Sekhmet took her place next to her father, trying to suppress the nervousness that she felt. 'Please let me be making the correct choice.' She had only found her protégé hours before the start of the ceremony, but her choice felt so right that she was confident that she had found her heir, but now, she was having her doubts. She could hear the other gods and goddesses question her decision-making skills and their uneasiness set her off. Sekhmet let out a small sigh. She didn't have time to doubt herself anymore; Ra was ready to begin. It was too late to change anything now. She was going to have to live with her choice, good or bad.  
  
"Welcome fellow gods and goddess. We have gathered here tonight at the Edfu fields for the Divine Ceremony - the Light of Horus. This is a grave time indeed for Egypt and all of mankind alike. I am assuming that most of you have heard the alarming news that has come from Greece about how this millennium's ceremony is vital to our survival. That this ceremony will decided once and for all which is stronger, good or evil. It is apparent to me that we need the Divine Family more than ever." Ra spoke in a loud voice.  
  
All the gods and goddesses present nodded in agreement.  
  
"Having said this, let us begin. Thoth, bring the Divine Father forth."   
  
Thoth came forward, carrying a small child in his arms. The baby couldn't have been more than a week old.   
  
From the ground Khonsu watched as the child was carried forth to Ra. "Isn't that child's parents going to be concerned when they discover their son is missing?" Khonsu whispered to Maat.  
  
"You've never attended this ceremony before have you?" Maat whispered back. Khonsu shook his head no. "We are at Edfu, a place dedicated to Horus here on the mortal world. However, since this is a godly ceremony, it moves in our time. In other words, this whole ceremony will take no more than a second in human standard of time while it very well may take an hour in ours. The parents will never know their children were missing. This is why the ceremony is performed at night. To ensure that we can perform the granting's without them knowing."  
  
"I understand." Khonsu replied.   
  
"Good, now watch, the best part of the ceremony is about to begin." Maat said, intrigued with whom Ra had chosen.   
  
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Ra cradled the child in his arms for a moment before proceeding. Mortal babies always fascinated him. They were so pure, so innocent. The child yawned and blinked his purple eyes at Ra. The baby cooed in delight, as if he had recognized the sun god.   
  
"Small one, I doubt highly that you understand fully what is going on. And yet, I can not help sense that you do realize how important of a day this is." Ra turned the child to face out towards the gathering. "See these people before you my son. Though they are more powerful that you know, one day you will be equal to them. But with this great power comes great responsibility. You must use your powers for good. Use these gifts that I beset to you to rule all of Egypt with wisdom, truth, and justice. Prince Yugioh, I raise you know before this crowd to let them see the newest Divine Father.  
  
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A murmur of approval rippled through the gathering.   
  
"Is that it?" Khonsu asked. "I thought there would be more to it that this."  
  
Maat grinned. "Not even close. This is just the announcement part of the ceremony. Sekhmet still has to name her choice for the Divine Mother. Then we have the blessing from Isis, who is the Divine families mother. After that we have the Naming of the Realms, Guardian and mentor. That is the longest part of the ceremony since there are so many parts to it. Finally Horus will end the ceremony with his blessing. Afterwards, we will be able to approach the Divine family and offer our blessings if we want."   
  
Khonsu nodded. He was beginning to understand why this ceremony was so revered. It was single handedly the honorable ceremony a mortal could undergo. It was giving mortals powers that equal and quite possibly rival the gods themselves. "Ra made a fine choice picking the new prince."  
  
"Ai, he did. New let us hope that Sekhmet picks just as wisely. For if she didn't, then our world, our civilization will be lost forever."  
  
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Sekhmet stared at her father in shock. 'He picked the Prince? The future Pharaoh? But…' She gulped. She could not back out on her decision now. She would just have to wait and hope her protégé would be able to complete the triad. But things were definitely stacked against her. She waved her hand, signaling Osiris to come forward. Slowly, the god of the underworld carried a small infant, no bigger than his forearm. Sekhmet found it ironic that he of all people was carrying new life in his hands.   
  
Gently she accepted the small baby from Osiris. She peeled back the rustic red blanket to allow everyone to see the newborn child. Even though the infant was sleeping, she was still a sight to see.  
  
"Little one, you are not yet even a day old and already I must place the fate of the world onto your shoulders. However, I know it is a task that you will be able to burden. I can sense that your soul thrives to help others. And I know that you will make me and the other gods and goddesses proud." She turned the child to her fellow deities, lifting the newborn girl into the air. "Ruia Motou, gaze at this gathering before you. Etch this night into your mind for today we proclaim you as our newest Divine Mother."  
  
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Sekhmet braced herself as the comments about her choice came. She didn't have to wait long.  
  
"Sekhmet, why? The child is a commoner." Anubis exclaimed. "She can't handle the powers of divinity. Why did you not pick someone with more royal of blood?"  
  
"There is no guarantee that she will even live! Ka exclaimed. He was the god of life forces.  
  
"ENOUGH!" Ra yelled, silencing the crowd. "Sekhmet has made her decision. There is nothing that any of us can do to change that. We are jus going to have to trust in her choice."  
  
"But Ra, Ruia is the daughter of a commoner and Yugioh is royalty. Don't you see that their paths will never cross which means the Divine Son will never exist. Our civilization is lost!" cried Tefnut. Even though she was the goddess of destruction, she didn't want to see everything they had worked to achieve fall because of Sekhmet's poor choosing.  
  
"That is not true" Shait broke in. The goddess of destiny was leaning up against a tree, off to the side of the ceremony. She stepped into the light, allowing the moon's light to cast a mystic look to her. Her golden hair flowed down her back, not quite reaching the ground. Her green eyes held an intense and painful look to them, for she held the knowledge of what everyone lives would be, well before they were ever born. "Their paths will cross many times in their young lives. Now if anything is to become of that, time will tell."  
  
"Thank you Shait." Ra replied satisfied with Shait explanation. He trusted the words of Shait more than any other gods of goddesses. If she replied that the their was a chance at the completed divinity, than who was he to argue. "Shall we continue with the ceremony Sekhmet?"  
  
Sekhmet nodded, not trusting her voice any longer.  
  
"Isis, will you please come forward then?"  
  
Isis moved to the front of the altar, black hair blowing in a non-existent breeze. "Place the children on the altar." She grasped one of Yugioh's hand and one of Raya's and held them gently in her own. "My children today is a great day, not only for you, but me as well. Today I receive another son and daughter into my family. Ones that I hope will lead with example. I pray that you will always know that you have I, your guardians, your mentors, Sekhmet, Ra, and the other sharers of your realm to turn to if you ever need guidance. Just call and we will come." She turned to Ra and Sekhmet. "Since both of you chose heirs that can not yet speak, you two should speak for them."  
  
Ra and Sekhmet nodded, then together in one clear and loud voice spoke.   
  
"I hail You and praise You,  
Glorious Goddess,  
At the end of this day which You granted me.  
May my actions within its hours be judged to be justified,  
And my words within its hours found to be true.  
Drain from me all intent and action;  
I offer to You all energy I have locked in unworthy action or reaction.  
May tomorrow by Your grace find me wiser  
and my joy in the universe still greater;  
I ask Your welcome now in the Temple;  
Accept me this night for rest, for study, and for worship;  
Grant me dreams of meaning and the memory to recall them.  
Hail to You, Goddess of the starry pathways;  
Hail to You, Goddess of the Deep Black,  
Hail to You, Goddess of the Shining Sun at Midnight,  
May I partake of Your glory forever."  
  
As they spoke, a soft golden glow radiated from the babies and Isis, enveloping their entire beings. When the prayer was over, the glow disappeared. Isis opened her midnight blue eyes open and smiled at her son and daughter. "Welcome to the family Prince Yugioh and Ruia."  
  
Isis left the children's tiny hands go, gave each a small kiss on the forehead and walked back to where she and her son had been standing before. Ra and Sekhmet picked their heirs back up off the altar. Through this whole ceremony, the babies had taken all of this quite well, never crying once. If they could just last a little longer then the ceremony would be over and they would be back with their mortal families. Ra moved to speak first.   
  
"Thoth, please step forward."  
  
The god of wisdom did as Ra wished, and then accepted the Prince into his arms when Ra offered.   
  
"Yugioh, as my protégé you will be expected to rule fair and honestly, with compassion and a level head. This will be no easy task I assure you. But as the Divine Father, I grant you something that may make this job just a little easier and a lot clearer. My son, I am giving you the role of the top triad, the mind. As sharer of my realm, you shall rule Egypt with the mind of a great leader. And if he will allow it, I ask Thoth to be your mentor. Thoth, do you agree to be Yugioh's mentor, realm sharer, and guidance when I can not be?"  
  
"Of course Ra, it is a great honor."  
  
"Than it has been decided. Yugioh, your powers will be that of wisdom of the mind. Together with Thoth you will have the ability to see things as they really are, whether in yourself or the ones around you. And though your powers are the darker half of the mind, I do not expect you to use them for evil. Though you will be tempted many times in your life. And because of this very fact, I feel that it is necessary for you to have a guardian in the mortal world as well since we can not be there. However, this guardian needs to be equally to you in the wisdom of the mind, which is why I have decided that the Dark Magician shall be this person. He is a strong, powerful, commanding, yet rules with his mind and heart, not with his actions." Ra slipped the card of the Dark Magician into Yugioh's royal green blanket. "He will be your greatest ally Yugioh, your constant companion. Guard this card with your life for he is guarding yours."  
  
He turned from the prince and nodded at Sekhmet. "Osiris, please come forth."  
  
The god of the dead came to stand in front of the goddess of war. He accepted the child when she placed the child called Ruia into his arms. The child blinked her large iris eyes at him and Osiris had to smile. She was cute even if she wasn't royalty.  
  
"Ruia, as my protégé, a lot will be expected of you. As the goddess of war, most associate me with darkness, anger, and death. However, I am also the goddess of protection and that is the side I beset to you. Our souls are in intertwined with the urge to protect everyone we meet and it only seems fitting that would be your realm. I grant you Ruia, the third part of the trinity, the soul. With our need to protect, it is a fitting choice for you. However you will need someone to show you how to distinguish between the bad souls from the good so that you may not be swayed. Osiris, as the guardian of the souls, I am asking you to be that very person. Allow Raya to have your keen insight so that she may have the ability of knowing who is being truthful with her and who is not."  
  
"It shall be done as you ask Sekhmet." Osiris replied.  
  
"Thank you my friend." She allowed Ruia to grasp a finger of hers. "Small one, even though you appear to weak, I can tell that is not the case. Taking this into account, I have decided that the Mystical Elf will be your guardian here on the mortal world. Do not let appearances be deceiving Ruia. Though she may appear fragile and weak, that couldn't be farther from the truth. She will be your closest friend and greatest ally. You two are one in the same."  
  
She moved back to Ra, signaling that she was finished.  
  
"Horus, if you would please come forward."  
  
Hours moved behind the altar, where the two babies now were laying. "Yugioh, Ruia today is a great day for all. You have been chosen from all Egyptians everywhere to be the Divine Mother and Divine Father. Take these powers and responsibilities wisely and with cation. For as much good they could do, they could just as easily destroy. However, there is another wonderful factor to your blessings, the Divine Son. If this occurs, who shall this child's guardians be?"  
  
"It shall be us." Amon and Ptah replied.  
  
"Step forward then and join the others." Horus replied.  
  
A circle had now been formed around the infants.   
  
"Each of you, state what you wish to present your protégés with."  
  
"Wisdom." Thoth answered.  
  
"Mind." Ra added.  
  
"Guidance of the souls." Osiris explained  
  
"Soul Protection." Sekhmet whispered.  
  
"Insight." Ptah said.  
  
"Leadership." Amon finished.  
  
"Then it shall be done." Horus placed one palms on each of the children's forehead and spoke.  
  
"Bless you for your Anger, for it is a sign of Rising Energy.   
Direct it not at your family, waste not on your enemy.   
Transform the energy into Versatility and it will bring you prosperity.   
Bless you for the times you see evil.   
Evil is energy mishandled and it feeds on your support.   
Feed it not and it will self destruct. Shed light and it will cease to   
be.   
Bless you for your jealousy for it is a sign of empathy.   
Direct it not at your family. Direct it not at your friends.   
Transform the energy to Admiration, and what you admire will become a   
part of your life.   
Count your blessings everyday for they are your protection which stands   
between you and what you wish not.   
Count you curses and they will be a wall which stands between you and   
what you wish"  
  
  
When he was done speaking, Horus removed his hands and the eye of Horus glowed brightly on each of their foreheads. "It is done, the ceremony of light is now complete."  
  
Ruia let out a wail, as if upset that the ceremony was over. To all the gods and goddesses amazement, Yugioh reached over with his tiny hand and laid it on Ruia's forearm, causing the child's whimpers to cease.  
  
'Maybe I didn't pick poorly after all.' Sekhmet thought as she picked Ruia off the table, as Ra did with Yugioh. Together they walked through the crowds, allowing all the gods and goddess to see the newest Divine Mother and Divine Father.  
  
At Maat, they stopped at the goddess insistence. She placed a hand on Yugioh's forehead, "As the goddess of truth, justice and harmony, I feel that it is necessary to give you something as well. To you prince, I give you the sense of justice that you will always fight for what you believe in, whether it be of a love or government."  
  
They continued around the gathering until the Sekhmet reached Shait. "This child's life will not be easy. However, she will grow into a very strong willed individual because of that very fact. And since her realm is that of protection, I may have something that can help Ruia in her quest." She pulled a small pouch out of her robes and sprinkled a little silver dust on the baby. "To you Ruia, I give you the gift of prophetic dreams so that you may be able to better serve people."  
  
A small gasp went up through the crowd. In all the years that Shait had attended the ceremonies, never had she given a person visions or any form of gifts for that matter. Why bless a commoner with such power? Did she know something that others did not? But no one dared voice his or her concerns. Shait always had a good reason for doing whatever she did. Plus everyone knew full well that she would never reveal what the child's future held.  
  
Finally it was time to send the children home. Isis stepped forward taking Yugioh and Ruia into her arms. "Come little ones. It is time for you to return to your mortal parents and start fulfilling your destinies."   
  
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A loud knock at the door jolted Pharaoh Khu from his slumber. Slipping out of his bed, he made his way over to his door, sword in hand. It was pitch black outside and who ever was at the door was either bringing news of war or of some problem. He felt no immediate threat for his life, what enemy would knock at his door if they meant to kill him? Khu just hoped that it wasn't more bad news. He really couldn't handle much more suffering this week, not after the death of his wife Cleo. It had been so sudden, so unnecessary.  
  
"My King, are you awake?" A voice called through the door. Concern was etched into the tone.   
  
Khu sighed. It was Qaa, his head High Priest. Rubbing the tiredness from his purple eyes, Khu tightened the sash on his tunic and opened the doors. "Qaa, do you have any idea what time it is?"  
  
Qaa lowered his head, allowing his brown locks to fall in front of his face. "I am deeply sorry my Lord, but the midwife, she found something interesting with your son Yugioh."  
  
At the mention of his son's name, Khu tensed. "Is something wrong with him? A complication from birth? Dear Ra, I can't lose him too!"  
  
"My King, please calm down. The Prince is fine, healthy as can be. Sepi gave him a full medical examination earlier. He will be fine, I am just sorry he could not save Cleo."  
  
Khu eyes watered over at the thought of his wife, his beautiful dead wife. She had passed away shortly after giving birth to his heir. Sepi had told him that there was a high risk that either Cleo or Yugioh could die but never did he expect it to happen. It had come as a shock when his wife held her child close, kissed her son's forehead, and the died right there in front of him. Oh how it hurt. "If my son is not physically sick then what is wrong? Did Zemti foresee something?" He and Qaa walked quickly to the west wing of the palace where his son's nursery was.  
  
"No not even Zemti could have foreseen this my lord. It is nothing short of a miracle." Qaa replied, ushering his Pharaoh to the prince's room.  
  
A small crowd had formed in the room, around the Prince's basinet. The nursemaid Shua, named after the sky goddess herself, was there, holding her child Athena, who was five in front of her. The two could have easily passed for sisters, though Shua was well into her late twenties. "My Pharaoh." Shua spoke as she bowed when Khu entered the room. Athena mimicked her mother's actions.  
  
"Shua, what has happened with my baby boy?"  
  
"Nothing short of a gift from the gods themselves Khu." Sepi replied. Sepi had know Khu since they were two and was one of the few people who could get away with calling the Pharaoh by his first name though at the moment he could not meet his friend's eyes. Sepi refused to look up at him. He had failed as the palace physician to save the Queen. Cleo had died because of him. Sure he did everything in his abilities to save Cleo, but in his mind he could have done something, anything different. Then maybe Cleo would still be alive to see her son grow into the powerful heir that he would become.  
  
"Well don't leave me in suspense here. What happened to Yugioh?" Khu asked again, growing impatient. He moved over to his son's crib, relieved to see the infant fast asleep, as he should be. He couldn't see anything wrong with his son. Just a blanket and wild mess of blond, black, and red hair spike in certain areas. A combination of his own hair and Cleo's. Khu smiled at the memory. His wife had along blond hair, with hints of black in it. His was red and spiky and their sons combined all of that. Gently he lifted his son into his arms and held him close to his heart. 'One day, I shall tell you all about your mother so you to can know how wonderful of a woman she really was.'  
  
"Khu, Ra was here." Zemti finally responded. He was the final member of Pharaoh's Court and also one of the newest members. He braced himself for the King's reaction.  
  
"Ra was here? With my son? But why and how do you know this?" Khu's head spun. A god, the Head god nonetheless, had visited his son. It was a miracle if it was true.  
  
"It is true my Lord. I found this tucked in the Prince's blanket." Shua replied, handing Khu the card of the Dark Magician. She tucked a piece of her purplish hair behind her ear.   
  
"The Dark Magician?" Khu rotated the between his fingers. "A powerful ally indeed. But what does this have to do with my son and Ra?"  
  
Sepi stepped forward. "The Dark Magician is considered a personal ally of Ra himself. And since no one here gave this card to the young prince, we can only conclude that Ra gave it to Yugioh himself."  
  
"Which means that Yugioh was granted powers, doesn't it." Khu replied, understanding now why Qaa had awakened him. This was indeed a miracle. His first born, given the abilities of a god.   
  
"We believe that to be the case my Lord." Qaa answered. He paused before continuing. He smiled when he saw the tiniest grin on the Pharaoh's face. At least his son could make Khu happy. After the lost of his wife, Khu had driven himself into a deep depression, locking himself into his bedchamber for hours on end. Only when he received word that his son needed his father would he come out. Or when the city of Memphis needed him. The only time Khu had been in the public eye this week was to announce the birth of Prince and the death of the Queen. But now there was a reason for the king to live again. "And if it does prove to be the case, that Yugioh has indeed been blessed with the powers of the gods, we are going to have to monitor him closely, train him, and make sure he uses his powers for good. And maybe with your son's abilities we can finally end the terrible confrontation with the Greeks."  
  
Khu sighed. The Greeks. They had been on constant edge with them for the longest time and now things were escalating to a full out war between the two empires. One Khu really did not want to see happen. Death was a horrible situation. "Yugioh is barely a week ago, we can not put the pressure on him to be a great leader and a gifted magician so soon. Maybe when he is older, like seven or eight we can start training him, but not a moment sooner. It would not be safe."  
  
Zemti sighed. "I don't think we can wait that long my lord." He shuffled his feet in discomfort. Zemti had the gift of prophecy, but at the age of 19, he was still a bit uncomfortable being around such powerful beings. "I think we need to train your son sooner. I can not foresee why, but my instinct tells me that Yugioh needs to be trained at once, maybe starting at the age of two."  
  
Khu snapped his head up. "NO! That is far too soon. My son will not be able to handle such stress. I refuse to lose my son as I lost my wife."  
  
Qaa placed a comforting hand on the King's shoulder. "I know it was hard to lose Cleo Khu, but we can't risk not training your son. If we don't, Yugioh could do serious harm to himself and the people of Egypt. Don't let the death of your wife cloud your judgment. We have all of Egypt to think of."  
  
"I understand…" Khu took a deep breathe before continuing. "Then it shall be done. Yugioh will be trained as soon as Zemti deems him ready. Qaa, I expect you to still tutor my son, as will Sepi. Zemti, I am relying on you to keep my son, my only heir, safe."  
  
"I will guard the Prince with my life my Lord. You have my word as a student of Shait."  
  
Khu nodded. "Let us all return to our chambers then and try to get some sleep." He placed his son back into his basinet "Good night Yugioh." With that he left his son's room, with his High Priests closely behind.   
  
"Momma, why didn't you tell them about the light on the baby's head?" Five-year-old Athena asked.  
  
"Athena, listen to mommy carefully. We must act like we saw no light. It is safer for everyone."  
  
"Why mommy? Is someone in trouble?"  
  
Shua had no idea how to answer her daughter's question. She had seen the light of Horus on the young prince's forehead glowing vibrantly then dimming once the Prince realized that she was in the room. And according to all the legends she had heard as a child growing up in the village of Memphis, that symbol could mean only one thing…divinity. But divinity was just a legend, right? No one could wield that much power. It was not humanly possible. No one could survive it. But yet the prove was right in front of her eyes. The Prince clearly had received divinity. 'But the King can not learn of his son's great power, not just yet. Because with this great power, comes great threats. And if Greece were too learn of such a powerful enemy, they would not hesitate in eliminating the prince. No, it is better to keep this information to myself, until the day comes for Yugioh's training.' Shua looked down at her daughter finally having an answer for her child. "Sometimes sweetie, it is safer not to let people know the truth. Safer for you, them, and a whole nation."  
  
Athena nodded. "Then I too will keep the secret mommy."   
  
"Good girl, now why don't you go climb back into bed? I will be there soon to tuck you in again."  
  
"Okay mommy" Athena bounced out of the room, purple locks bouncing the entire time.   
  
Shua smiled as Athena exited the room. She moved over to the crib where the prince laid. 'Such great things are in stored for you, but I have to suppress my fears that you will fall to darkness. You are the son of Cleo and Khu, the two most nobilities and purist people I know. But why can't I shake the feeling that the darkness is looming just around the bend waiting for the day that it can consume you whole?' Shua grimaced, thinking of her own daughter. 'And if I am correct that you did indeed inherit divinity, I have to wonder, where is the other child? Divinity comes in pairs according to all the legends. So little one, where is your comrade? Is this other child the one who is going to cause the downfall of our civilization or are you?' Shua sighed. She wasn't going to get answers from the prince. There was no way for him to have these answers. She was just going to have to wait, just like everyone else. Wait and pray that the great destruction did not come to past like the legends had foretold.  
  
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"WAH!"  
  
Aristae awoke with a start. 'Right on time again.' she thought as she slipped out of bed, careful not to wake her husband. As much as she loved her daughter, Aristae wish she would sleep a little long than an hour at a time. But at least her daughter had a schedule already. And for that Aristae was grateful.  
  
Moving over to the crib, Aristae lifted her child into her arms and carried her to a chair in the next room so not to wake the father. Taking a seat, Aristae rocked Ruia; humming softly to her hoping to ease the child of whatever distress she was in.   
  
"Ishpi slept through the nights after he was born, why can't she?" Sugoroku asked, walking into the room.  
  
Aristae scrunched her face in pain as she thought of her first born, Ishpi who died three years after he was born. He had contracted a disease, one that no one could cure. Healers came as far as Rome, but none had ever seen what Ishpi had contracted. He would have been sixteen this year. Aristae mentally scolded herself. 'It has been 13 years, I need to move on. The gods have bless me with another child to finally help me heal. No sense dwelling in the past when I have a little girl here who wants my undivided attention.' "No, she just wants to make sure that we haven't forgotten her presence."   
  
Sugoroku chuckled. "She's going to take after her mother alright, stubborn and determined. I fear for when she gets older."  
  
"She's not going to be a problem Sugoroku," Aristae frowned, brushing a small lock of Ruia's hair out of her face. "You'll see, she'll be a wonderful child. She is your daughter."  
  
"As she is yours, which worries me." He replied with a yawn. "If she takes after you…"  
  
"I know, I know the world is doomed." Aristae replied with a soft laugh, careful not to wake Ruia who was dozing off to sleep.  
  
"Well I was thinking that the world would be a pretty lucky place, but doomed works just as well." Sugoroku walked over and lifted his daughter into the air, gazing at his little girl. "She's perfect Aristae. Absolutely perfect."  
  
"That she is. Why don't you go back to bed? I'll stay with her till she settles down again."  
  
"Are you sure Aristae? You look awfully tired. I could take care of her if you want."  
  
"No, I would like to spend time with her, you never know what tomorrow might bring."  
  
Sugoroku's face clouded over. "Aristae, did you have a vision? Is something wrong with you or Ruia?"  
  
"No Sugoroku, I am fine as is Ruia. I am planning on staying with the two of you for a long time." She kissed her husband on the cheek. "Now off to bed with you. You have work in the morning."  
  
She watched as her husband stroll back to the bedroom. She moved back to the chair rocking Ruia in her arms all the while. 'Only two years. That is all I get with you small one and then, it is gone, forever.' She hadn't been honest with her husband at all when she told him that everything was alright. In fact, that statement couldn't have been farther form the truth. She was dying and she knew it. 'That dream was so vivid, so lifelike I know it is a vision.' Ishpi had appeared to her, pointing at her then at him. Then he held up two fingers and nod as if to confirm what his mother was already suspecting. His blue eyes held a hint of despair to them, knowing that she was going to die soon and that his mother was going to have to leave her child behind. Aristae hadn't known that she was pregnant yet. She learned that four days later. While she was ecstatic, Ishpi warning came back to her. Two years was all she had with Ruia before she came to the same fate as Ishpi, succumbing to the very same disease that he had.   
  
"Oh Ruia, there was so many things I wanted to show you, teach you, but now I am just not sure how I am going to do it. I know your father will do a fine job of raising you, but you need more than just a father, you need a mother too. If only there was a way…" Aristae stated, tears prickling at the corners of her eyes. "What am I going to do?"  
  
Ruia cooed softly, small hand reaching over her mother's heart. Ruia blinked her large iris eyes once, light from the candle Aristae had lit giving her eyes an even more mysterious appearance to them.  
  
"Love each other huh?" Aristae responded, placing her own hand on her child's heart, just as Ruia had done to she. "You know Ruia, if I didn't know any better, I swear you actually knew what you where doing. But that is impossible, you are barely a day old. There is no way you can fully understand me."  
  
Ruia squirmed in her mother's arms, shaking her head as if she really did understand what Aristae was saying. 'Could Ruia really understand what I am saying to her? That can't be true, she is too little to understand human communication. I know they say a mother and daughter bond is strong, but can they be strong enough to hurdle the communication boundaries? Or is there something else…' "Okay Ruia Ana, you win. If this is any indication of how your teen years are going to be, I pity your father…and you."  
  
Gurgling, Ruia gave a small laugh, mocking her mother as if. Aristae stared in amazement. "You are definitely one special child Ruia." She raised her daughter to her eye level, smiling at her daughter's joy that was written on her face. Ruia definitely looked like her, but the bond the two shared already had was something else. "2 years, that is all I am allowed to have. I would just feel better if I knew that Ruia would be looked after. I know Sugoroku will do a fine job of raising you, but nothing can replace a female influence. If only there was something…" Aristae moved her hand to adjust Ruia's blanket. It was then she felt the card that was tucked away.  
  
"The Mystical Elf? But how, where did this card come from?" Aristae looked down at Ruia, confusion etched into her features. "How?" she asked again, as if she expected Ruia to really answer her.  
  
Of course nothing came. Aristae looked up to see the morning light rising in the horizon. She may not have the answers, but someone had too. Quickly, she gathered up Ruia into her arms, making sure the child was warm enough and left a message for Sugoroku that she and Ruia had gone to the temple. Someone there would surly have the answered she desired.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"What do you think this means?" Aristae asked, holding Ruia on her hip.  
  
"I am not overly sure. It could mean several different things." Ay, the Temple Priest answered honestly. "This card could hold several meanings, each more complex and dangerous than the previous one."  
  
Aristae clutched Ruia closer to her. "Dangerous? How? It is nothing more than a card."  
  
Ay sighed. "I have read in the Book of Secret Arts of a ceremony that grants certain individuals with magically powers. This ceremony is key to all civilizations everywhere and happens only once every thousand years."  
  
"The Book of Secret Arts? Isn't that one of the cards people use when playing the Shadow Games?" Aristae asked, confused.   
  
"It is, but it is based off a real book. And to be honest, this card you found with your daughter is another one they use in those games." Ay handed the Mystical Elf back to Aristae.  
  
"But how did Ruia get it? She doesn't know anything about the games and no one that has come to see her would have any contact with the Shadow Games at all." She pulled back Ruia's hand, which was trying to grab a piece of Aye's black braid.   
  
"There can be only one answer then, your daughter has been chosen."  
  
"Chosen? For what?"  
  
"Divinity. Aristae, your daughter has been chosen to save all of Egypt. That is what this card represents. She was granted the powers of the gods. Now as to what those powers might be, I haven't the faintest. But this card, the Mystical Elf, holds that key. She was given to Ruia as a guardian, as an ally, but most of all, as a friend. Which ever goddess took your daughter under her wing, gave this very card to Ruia, to cherish and use in times of need."  
  
Aristae felt faint. Her daughter, a goddess practically? That couldn't be, she was only two days old. Quickly, Ay lead her over to a bench.   
  
"Aristae, are you alright?"  
  
"Maybe, I am not sure Ay. I never expected you to tell me that my daughter might have inherited the powers of a goddess." She took a deep breath. "Is there any way to tell what goddess blessed Ruia Ana like this?"  
  
"Not yet, it is still too early to tell. But as Ruia ages, her powers will become more developed, especially if she is trained right. But Aristae, there is something else you need to know."  
  
"What is that Ay?"  
  
"Divinity comes in two. Another child, a boy, had to receive powers as well, a gift from the gods. Ruia and this other child are to save all of Egypt. This is why they were given the gifts. However, legends say that one day, either the Divine Mother or the Divine Father will fall to the darkness."  
  
Ay and Aristae looked down at Ruia, who was playing on the stone floor, happily. "You mean to tell me that my daughter may turn to evil? No I refuse to believe it Ay. That simply won't happen."  
  
"You can't change the will of the gods and goddesses Aristae, no matter how hard you try."  
  
"Then I will never tell Ruia of her powers. If she doesn't know that she is the Divine Mother, than there is no way for her to fall to the darkness."  
  
Ay jumped up in alarm. "Aristae, you can not do that. Our civilization needs the Divine Family. We need Ruia to know who she is."  
  
Aristae stood, shaking. "No Ay, you listen to me. I will not risk my daughter's life over something like this. We are not even sure that she is the Divine Mother at all. It is all just speculation. I refuse to let you treat her any differently than any other child. I will not let the darkness claim her as one of their pawns."  
  
"You may not have a choice in the matter Aristae. Ruia will do what she wants and there is nothing you or Sugoroku can do about it. Ruia will have all the spirit of Fennec Fox. She will not be dangerous, just free spirited. Sugoroku will have a difficult time raising her on his own won't he?" Ay asked, raising an eye brow at the woman across from him.  
  
Aristae gasped. "How do you know that I am dying Ay?"  
  
Ay chuckled, his piercing hazel eyes glisten with amusement. "How soon you forget Aristae, I am a student of Shait too."  
  
"I hadn't forgotten Ay, I just thought you didn't know." Aristae replied, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear.  
  
"And even if I didn't get the vision, I would have known anyway. Aristae, you're my sister and twin. I can sense when something is wrong with you." Ay replied, hugging his sister tightly.  
  
"Oh Ay. I just wish things could be different. I mean I only have two years with my daughter and that is it. And now you are telling me that after I leave, there is a strong chance that Ruia will turn to the darkness, destroying everything our ancestors worked so hard to create and preserve. I just don't know what to do anymore." Aristae replied, letting her brother hold her close.  
  
"Love her Aristae. Love her with all your heart so that she may never forget the feeling. Maybe then the darkness won't consume her for she will remember what true love really is."  
  
"I will, Ra knows that I will."  
  
Ay smiled, then frowned. "Two years sis, that is it? Have you told Sugoroku yet?"  
  
"No and I don't plan too. It will be easier on him not to know."  
  
"If you say so sister. But for now, I must go and prepare for today's services." Ay stood.  
  
"Ay, thank you. I know this seems sudden, but I need you to promise me something."  
  
"Anything Aristae, just name it."  
  
Aristae bent down and lift Ruia into her arms. "After my death Ay, promise me that you will look after Ruia. Train her so that she will not fall to the darkness."  
  
"Of course, you have my word."  
  
Aristae nodded and heading for the exit. She had come in search of answers and while she had found them, she had also learned of great burdens that would lay on her child's shoulders. 'At least she will not be along in her journeys. While I may not be there to guide her, Sugoroku, Ay, the Mystical Elf, and her guardian goddess will all be there for her. Not to mention another child. Indeed, I was correct that my daughter was special. She was chosen to save all of Egypt. Can't get more special than that.'  
  
Outside, the sun glistened. Aristae smiled as Ruia cooed at the sight clapping her hands at the new day. No, there was no doubt her mind that Ruia and who ever the Divine Father was could handle their duties. Egypt would surely prosper. But as Aristae walked home, she tried to ignore the dread that was building in the back of her subconscious. 


	2. Age Five: Best of Enemies

Disclaimer: Nope, no ownership here.  
  
Anya: Sorry this chapter took so long, I blame college. I had hit a really hard week not long ago and it took time away from this story. But don't worry, with break coming up, these chapters should come out faster. Anyway, onto the story.  
  
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Another day, another battle.  
  
"Ruia will you please go get ready?" Sugoroku asked, tiredly placing the potted plate back on the shelf. They had been at this for five minutes already.  
  
"But daddy, you promise." Five-year-old Ruia responded, crossing her arms over her chest, puffing out her lower lip, biting down on it gently. She refused to cry.   
  
Sugoroku sighed. If this was going to be any indication to what Ruia was going to be like when she got older…Sugoroku shook the thought from his head. Instead, he concentrated on the task at hand. He knelt down to his daughter's eye level and placed his hands on her shoulders. "I know I did Ruia and I am deeply sorry. I really didn't want to do anything today either, but as my job as the town bursar, I have to meet with the Pharaoh once a month. I had no idea he would schedule for today."  
  
"Can you tell the Phar - roll that you have more important things to do?" Ruia pouted, iris eyes large and pleading.  
  
Sugoroku laughed at his daughter's attempts. She could convince anyone to do anything practically. But this one time, he couldn't afford to give in. "As much as I wish I could Ruia, it doesn't quite work that way. Now will you please finish getting ready?"  
  
Ruia stood still for a minute, as if reviewing her options before muttering, "Why did Chrissie have to go out of town?" Without another word, she stomped out of the kitchen and to her bedroom.  
  
"Another broken promise, when are they going to stop?" Sugoroku said to no one in particular. He moved to sit at the window. A new day had begun in Memphis. Unfortunately, it was another routine day at the Motou house; fights between Ruia and he and at some point a broken promise or two. He seemed to be breaking a lot of promises to his daughter lately. He didn't mean too, it just happened, but the one he broke today was the worse by far. Ruia had to be crushed. Sighing he took a seat next to the open window and waited patiently for Ruia to finish getting ready. A gentle warm breeze brushed against his face as he thought about his remarkable child. For only being five, Ruia was remarkably intelligent and self-reliant. She could perform a lot of task that normal five year olds couldn't. When Ruia was only nine months, she was speaking clearly and by thirteen months she was able to put complete and rational sentences together. She was indeed a special girl.  
  
Which is why Sugoroku feared her teen years with a passion. He was having a hard enough time raising her at five. Ay, his wife's twin helped everywhere he could. Ay even started taking Ruia to the temple every afternoon to school her in the necessary subjects. Even though Ruia was younger than all his other students, Ay never had a more eager one to learn. She loved learning about the sciences, math, history, and of course religion. Sugoroku felt himself smile. Religion was Ruia's favorite subject. She loved hearing about all the wonderful and not so great accomplishment their gods and goddess had done. One goddess in particular, the goddess of War, Sekhmet, had really captured her attention. At first, Sugoroku had been concerned about his daughter's fascination with the goddess, but Ay assured him that it was perfectly natural, Sugoroku couldn't be for certain, but Ay almost acted as if he was glad that Ruia had taken an interest in the goddess. He couldn't be positive though. And Ruia was no position to join a cult or anything like that. She had explained to him that she just felt sorry for Sekhmet. The goddess was known for war, but there had to be more to her than just that.   
  
"Ruia! Come on, we are going to be late." Sugoroku called glancing at the position of the sun.  
  
Finally, his daughter came into the room, looking more presentable than before. Her hair was neat and robes clean. She adjusted the red robe again, huffing all the while, showing that she was obviously upset that she had to come along to the palace.  
  
"I promise Ruia, I will make this up to you."  
  
"You said that last time too daddy." Ruia responded, crossing her arms back over her chest. Her father may have forced her into going on to this little voyage, but she wasn't going to enjoy it, not by far. A smirk crossed her face, "maybe I can have a little fun though."   
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"Sorry that we are last my King." Sugoroku quickly stated, once he and Ruia were permitted into the palace. He bowed before Khu who was seated on his golden throne a few short feet away. He nudged Ruia, who was staring down at the red carpet, to do the same.  
  
Ruia did as directed then added. "Good morning Phar - roll. I hope the day finds you well." She smiled sweetly at her ruler. Even though she didn't want to be here, she knew how important the Pharaoh was to their land. He controlled her father's job, as well as her uncle's and many others. There was nothing to gain in making the King mad. Besides, he was a very important person; the gods had chosen him out of everyone in Egypt to rule. Uncle Ay had told her many times.   
  
"The day finds me well, Ruia isn't it?" Khu asked. He was shocked at the child's intelligence as well as her composure. No other five year olds he had over come in contact with had this much pose, excluding his son, the crowned prince. But never had a young girl impressed him so much.   
  
Ruia nodded her head, golden brown locks bouncing.   
  
Khu smiled, and then motioned a young woman forward. "Athena, why don't you take Ruia with you and show her around the palace. I bet she would enjoy the grounds more than this boring meeting wouldn't you, daughter?"  
  
Sugoroku blinked. Khu had just called Ruia his daughter, after just one meeting. Smiling with pride, Sugoroku couldn't really even begin to comprehend what was going on anymore. To have the Pharaoh call you a son or daughter was simply amazing and highly honorable. And his daughter had managed to impress the King after a very brief meeting. 'I should have known Ruia could have done it, she is my little manipulator.' he thought with a soft chuckle. Sugoroku brushed a piece of his brown hair of his face, still beaming with pride.  
  
"I would like that quite much Phar - roll. Thank you." Ruia responded. 'Finally a way out.' She turned to face her father to make sure it was all right. Receiving a nod of approval, she grinned back wildly at her King. She bowed again and skipped over to the lavender hair child. Taking Athena's hand, the two exited the room, chatting like old friends.   
  
Khu rose as his two daughters left the room. "She is something special Sugoroku. I can not believe she is only five years old. She speaks with more confidence and pose than most adults I know. Though I noticed she can't say Pharaoh." He chuckled. He led his bursar over to a large wooden table to start their meeting. Two servants brought goblets of the finest wine for them to drink.  
  
Sugoroku blushed. "We are still working on that one. She is something else though. She takes after her mother in many ways. Some worse than others." He answered honestly. He placed his glass in front of him. Reaching into his bag, he pulled out the records from the town shops.  
  
"Oh? And what is that?" Khu asked as he took the papers that Sugoroku had brought from his hands.   
  
"She is the most stubborn individual I ever met. I love my daughter to death, but there are just times I really don't think I will be able to handle raising her. You saw yourself Pharaoh, she is smarter than she looks and she knows it. It's not that she goes out of her way to upset me; I think she just does it for attention. I know that I am not around enough for her, but I have to support us. It can't be helped."  
  
Khu placed a hand on Sugoroku shoulder. "I understand where you are coming from my friend. There are times I wish I could spend more time with my son. But you have to remember that your daughter is only five, not fifteen Sugoroku. She doesn't realize the sacrifices you are making. You just have to be patient. I have confidence that young Ruia will be a great assert to our civilization."  
  
"I pray to the gods that you are correct. But I fear her stubbornness will be her undoing. If she, I can not bring it under control…" Sugoroku shrugged.   
  
Khu laughed. "You have nothing to fear, you never met my son. I bet Ruia is nowhere near as bad as Yugioh. He will make a good leader, I have no doubts there, but in order to be great, he is going to have to learn that stubbornness and force is not the way to lead a group of people."  
  
"Maybe our children could learn something from each other." Sugoroku grinned. 'Like that would ever happen. Commoners and Royalty do not converse. Even if our case is special.'  
  
Khu opened a parchment. "That or they would be such opposites that they would kill one another."  
  
The two men glanced at one another. Purple eyes met with brown. Then spoke simultaneously. "Kill one another."  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"This is pretty." Ruia commented touching the cold bronze statue gently, as if afraid of damaging it somehow.  
  
Athena stole a glance at the statue. She never really paid attention to her surroundings, she had far too much work to do since she became an adult at the age of ten, but now walking with Ruia allowed her to stop and see things she had never looked at before. "That is a statue of Queen Cleo. She passed on right before you were born."  
  
"She was a pretty woman. I remember Uncle Ay telling me that she was a compassionate ruler too."  
  
Athena smiled. For a five year old, Ruia was quite intelligent. Athena knew she did not use or even know some of the words Ruia had said at five. "She was very compassionate. She was always very good to my mother and me." She shook a memory from her mind, there was no sense dwelling in the past. You could not change it, no matter how much you tried or wished. "Ruia, how would you like to see the gardens? It is lovely during this season."  
  
"Can we play a game out there too?" Ruia asked hopefully, eyes wide in suspense. She loved playing games. Impatiently, she bounced from foot to foot, waiting for Athena's response.  
  
Laughing at her 'little sister' enthusiasm, Athena nodded. "What game would you like to play?" She knelt down to Ruia's eye level.  
  
Ruia scrunched her face in thought. "I know, hide and go seek."  
  
Grabbing Ruia's hand, she responded. "Hide and seek it is. Come on, I will race you outside."  
  
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"Wow, this has to be the biggest play area I have ever seen. Anzu would die to see this." Ruia whispered in awe. The gates around the palace seemed to stretch as far and as wide as her little eyes could see. The sand even seemed different. It dusted the ground like magic, glistening in the morning rays. But the best thing about being outside was centered in the field of sand, a fountain, the biggest one Ruia had seen in her life. She moved over to the stone structure, running her hand atop the clear wet liquid, laughing all the while.  
  
'I almost forgot this child was younger than she acts. I am glad that she is enjoying herself. When Ruia had first arrived, she seemed so down, so depressed. Thank Ra she cheered up. I hate seeing anyone so upset.' Athena closed her eyes as a sudden breeze kicked up some sand. When she opened them again, Ruia was no longer in front of her. "Ruia?"   
  
She received no answer.  
  
"Ruia?" she called again, a bit more urgently. Still no answer. 'Where did she go? I can't have lost her. She was right in front of me a mere second ago.' "Ruia! Answer me. Where are you?"  
  
"Right here."  
  
Athena sighed in relief as she turned and found Ruia standing behind her, now clutching something against her chest. "You scared me, Ruia. Please do not run off like that again."  
  
Ruia turned red, matching the color of her robe. "I'm sorry Athena. I didn't mean too. It was just my dolly fell out of my pocket and I panicked. I didn't want someone to throw her out. She is my favorite toy. My mommy gave it to me…" she trailed off, looking sheepish.  
  
"It is okay, nothing happened." Athena soothed. "We have nothing to be concerned about." She winked at Ruia.  
  
"Really? Thanks!" Ruia grinned; relieved that her father would not learn she had run off without telling Athena. "Wanna see my dolly?" She held out her doll to Athena.  
  
The doll wasn't much, just some simple cloth sewn together and stuffed with either sand or something equally as soft. But even Athena could see how important the doll was to Ruia. "She's beautiful, what is her name?"  
  
"Aristae with an e." Ruia answered. 'Just like my mother.' she added silently to herself, hoping that she wouldn't start crying.  
  
"That's a really pretty name." She handed the doll back to Ruia, who clutched it tightly to her. "Are you ready to play now?"  
  
"YEAH!" Ruia smiled. "Can I hide first?"  
  
"Of course, just make sure you stay outside. We don't want to disrupt your father and the other workers."  
  
Ruia nodded her head, eyes searching for the perfect spot. "Count to fifty!"  
  
"Okay." Athena closed her eyes. "1...2...3..."  
  
Ruia took off for the far side of the palace. She had seen the perfect hiding spot there before when she went to find her doll. Dropping to her hands and knees, she crawled in between two bushes. While she could see everything perfectly because of her height, she was still perfectly covered by the plants. Athena would never see her.  
  
She watched as Athena moved towards her. Though she knew that Athena couldn't see her, her heart still felt like it was going to explode. Finally, Athena moved out of sight and around the side of the great structure. Ruia crawled her way out and ran for the fountain. She plopped herself down and wait for Athena to return. She stared at her reflection in the water for quite some time. Another image formed beside her. One she had not seen for quite some time. She moved her tiny hand to brush the images face, a small tear dropping first, causing the image to ripple and disappear all together. 'Oh mommy, why did you have to go?'  
  
Footsteps echoed behind her. Quickly Ruia brushed the tears from her eyes and turn to smile at Athena. Instead, she came face to face with two boys, to taller, menacing looking boys. Gulping she pushed herself up against the fountain.  
  
"Who are you? What are you doing here?" The blond hair boy asked threateningly. His white robes barely touched the ground as he spoke to her.   
  
His purple eyes pierced though Ruia like sharp knives. Never had she encountered someone so forward. But no one pushed Ruia Motou around. She stood and stared up at the blond, who appeared to be her age, maybe a year old. "My name does not concern the likes of you. I wasn't hurting anything. No if you don't mind, I would like to go back to enjoying the day that your presence is ruining!"  
  
The brown haired boy's blue eyes widen in surprise. He couldn't have heard what thought he did. "Come again?"  
  
Ruia sighed. "You heard me. Get lost. I want to enjoy my day in peace and I know you two won't let me."  
  
Yugioh turned to Setto and smirked. Obviously this servant girl had no idea who she was talking too. The crowned prince turned to his future high priest and winked.   
  
Inwardly Setto flinched. He knew what that wink meant, certain doom for the young girl standing before them. 'Though I have to respect her in a small way. She has guts.'  
  
Yugioh moved around the girl, taking in every possible detail about her. She was about his age, a lot shorter, but arrogant as anything. She was definitely schooled, which surprised him. He didn't know of too many individuals who were in school before the age of seven, the age of reason. But no one treated him like a commoner, especially a servant. "I will ask you once again, what is your name?"  
  
"I'll make you a deal, tell me yours and I will tell you mine." Ruia replied, smirk still on her face. She met this boy's glares face to face. She could tell it unnerved him some.  
  
Setto moved to stand next to Yugioh. He leaned in close and whispered. "I don't think she is a daughter of a servant, I have never seen her before here in the palace. You'd better not upset her, she could be the daughter of a visiting King."  
  
"My father had no meetings schedule with foreign kings. No, she is a commoner. How she got past the guards is beyond me. I will see to her removal immediately."  
  
"NO!" Setto hissed, a little louder than he liked. "She is here for a reason let's just have a little fun with her." Setto smiled devilishly.  
  
Yugioh bit his lip. After studying with Qaa and Sepi all morning, a little fun sounded good. "Alright, let's do it."  
  
Setto moved to sit next to the girl. "You want to know our names, alright, I guess that is a fair trade off. I am Set." He extended his hand and shook the girl's hand.  
  
"And I am Yugi," Yugioh responded, he too giving a semi -false name. He kissed the girl's hand, expecting her to blush. The reaction he got was far from that. She looked positively sick. "And what is your name?"  
  
'Think you can pull the false name on me do you? Well two can play at that.' Ruia didn't know how she knew they were lying to her, she just did. The sensation was too strong to ignore. Why they were giving her a false name, she had no idea. It worried her greatly, but at the same time, she felt comfortable around them. "Ana, my name is Ana."  
  
"Why are you here?" Setto asked, turning on the charm. At eight, he knew how to manipulate people, though Sepi tried to tell him it was negotiating. Since he was five, Khu's High Priests Sepi and Qaa had been training him to be Yugioh's top advisor. He figured he could use their teachings to get the real truth out of Ana. And if they happened to scare the young girl in the process, well that would be alright too.  
  
Ana smiled sweetly. "My father is here on business. I accompanied him on the trip."  
  
Yugioh's eyes narrowed. 'Either she is a really good talker or she is really here on business. But if she was royalty, wouldn't her cloths be nicer?' "Where are you from?"  
  
"Not far, we are only here for a short time. We should be gone by mid - day. The Pharaoh was not expecting me on this trip so he allowed me to visit these gardens."  
  
"By yourself?" Setto exclaimed nearly falling into the fountain in surprise. 'By Ra, she is only at most 6, the King couldn't, wouldn't have sent her out here alone and unguarded.'  
  
"Of course not. I am only five. He sent Athena with me." Ana replied, laughing at Setto's stupidity. 'Boys, you think they would use that brain of theirs every once it awhile.'  
  
"Where is Athena now?" Yugioh asked, looking around for the young woman.  
  
"We were playing a game; she is it."   
  
"I see, well you know what Ana," Yugioh said, moving closer to the girl. "I think you are nothing more than a liar. I know for a fact that my father has no meetings today. You are trespassing on Palace grounds. You can be killed for that!"  
  
Ruia's eyes grew large. 'He must be the Prince, oh no. I should have known, but he isn't wearing his crown. Oh no, dad is going to be so furious at me.' Suddenly her trick weren't going to work any longer. "Well Prince Yugioh, I must admit, you caught me off guard. However, let me just say this. I am not trespassing. My father is here on business, seeing your father.'  
  
Yugioh laughed. "That can not be. My father and I have plans for today. He would not have schedule anything. He wouldn't."  
  
"Well guess what Prince." Ruia said hissing, "Your father did and ruined my day in the process."  
  
"Liar." Yugioh shoved the girl to the ground. The second that he did, his hand flew to his mouth. The first rule he was ever taught, never hit a girl. And yet, he didn't feel sorry for the action. Instead, he just stared at the girl who told lies, waiting for her to breakdown and admits that she was lying to them.  
  
Setto stood off to the side, refusing to get involved. He knew what Yugioh had done was wrong, but yet Ana had not cried or anything, rather laid there, taunting Yugioh as if. He figured that this little lady could handle herself just fine. There was no need for him to step into the middle of this war. Besides, he was eager to see how this would turn out. Never had any child dared to go against the Prince, nonetheless a girl.   
  
Ruia stood, brushing off her tunic. "Is that the best you got? Please I have been hit worse before by a gust of wind."   
  
Yugioh reeled back in surprise. 'If I didn't know any better, I said say she was a demon.' "You're pretty tough Ana, I give you that, but you're still a liar. And I hate liars. We have no use for them in our society. So I suggest you start telling the truth or face the consequences."  
  
Ana stomped her foot in anger. "I am not fibbing. My father is in throne room with the Phar -roll discussing the town's intake for this month!"  
  
"You're a commoner." Yugioh stated realizing was the girl had said. "A daughter of one of the townspeople."  
  
Ruia turned and faced Yugioh eyes blazing. "And what is that to you?"  
  
Laughing, Yugioh had to take a seat. "Nothing, I just find it funny. You are nothing more than a commoner. No wonder you look the way you do."   
  
Ruia's eye widen in shock. She didn't care that she was talking to the crown prince; no one called her a commoner. "At least I am not a spoiled palace brat that gets everything had to him even if he doesn't deserve it!" She paused, and then added. "Like the crown."  
  
The sand Setto had been holding dropped from his hand. No one spoke as Yugioh and Ruia locked eyes. 'I take back what I thought before, the girl has a lot of guts that or she is extremely crazy.'  
  
"Take that back right now, by order of the Prince."  
  
"No" Ruia responded. "You may think you have power over me and these people, but you do not. We are all equal, each and every last one of us. You are no better than me and I refuse to let you treat me any less."  
  
Yugioh grabbed the girl's tunic and pulled her close. "I said, take it back."  
  
Setto moved forward, this was getting too intense, especially for five year old. He had to put a stop to this, as a future advisor and as a friend.  
  
"And I said no."  
  
Yugioh dropped the girl in surprise, and then noticed the doll in her pocket. Quickly he grabbed it.   
  
"No, give that back please!" Ruia cried. For the first time, she felt her confidence slipping.  
  
"Why do you even have this ratty old thing? It is nothing more than cloth." Yugioh replied, rotating the doll in his hand. 'Why would she be carrying this worthless thing?'  
  
"Please give it back, it means a lot to me." Ruia pleaded, tears forming. She had to get her doll back; it was the only thing she had left.  
  
"You want it, go get it." Yugioh tossed into a pile of wet sand, soaking the doll instantly.  
  
Ruia looked at her ruined doll, tears failing. "You meanie!"   
  
Yugioh shrugged. "Next time don't insult me, especially on issue you know nothing of. Didn't your mother teach you anything? She definitely failed in her duties as a mother. "  
  
Ruia stood, temper raging. "Never tell me again what I can and can not do! And never speak of my mother like that!" She shoved Yugioh back towards the fountain.   
  
A loud splash echoed across the field. Yugioh spit the water that had collect in his mouth from when he fell into the water. He pushed up his blond, red, and black hair out of his eyes and stared at the girl who had pushed him in. What he saw shocked him. He expected her to be terrified at when she did, but instead she looked well proud.  
  
"Maybe now you'll understand what I am saying since you cooled off. You need to rule with respect and wisdom, not fear and intimidation. You know nothing about how to treat people and if you do not learn, you will never succeed as a husband or Phar - roll." Tears fell from her eyes as she stared at her doll. Taking one more glance at the soaked Prince, she turned and fled.  
  
Yugioh sat there for a moment, pondering the girl's final words to him. He was shook out of his daze when Setto offered him a hand up.   
  
"You really messed up this time Yugioh."  
  
"She is nothing more than a commoner Setto. Her words mean nothing."  
  
Setto sighed. "Maybe, but you really hurt her Yugioh and she was speaking the truth. She said the same thing Qaa was telling us earlier today."  
  
"She is only five Setto. She isn't that smart." Yugioh stated, trying to fix his hair back up into their spikes. It wasn't working. They kept flopping back down in front of the prince's eyes. Finally he just gave up and pushed them to the side.  
  
"You're only five too. And I tell you, she is just as smart as you, maybe smarter." Setto replied honestly as he pulled the doll out of the mud. "This doll really meant something to her and you destroyed it. She told you that you didn't deserve the crown, but she didn't take it from you. Do you see my meaning?"  
  
"She acted with compassion were I didn't right?"  
  
"Compassion, respect, it is all the same." Setto tossed the doll at Yugioh. "Let's get your dried off before someone sees you."  
  
"I can handle it," Yugioh paused, "Go check on Ana. Make sure she is okay."  
  
"Are you going to apologize?" Setto raised an eyebrow in hope.  
  
"I have nothing to be sorry for, but I don't want anything to happen to her either." Yugioh shouted as he headed to his bedroom to change.  
  
'You have plenty to be sorry for Prince, but even I have to admit, I think you met your match with Ana. Both of you are two of the same cloth.'  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Ruia ran from the two boys, tears falling from her eyes. She wasn't just upset that the crown prince, but herself as well. 'Daddy is going to be so mad when he finds out what I did. I pushed the prince in the fountain and I just know the Phar - roll is going to punish daddy and I. I just know it.'  
  
Unable to control herself any longer, Ruia collapsed into the sand and sobbed. 'What am I going to do, what?' She barely flinched when she felt a hand on her shoulder.  
  
"Child, what is the matter?" Athena asked, alarm laced throughout her voice. When she had left Ruia, she was fine, happy as can be, but now, she was anything but that. She tried to coax the young girl out of her fetal position. "Ruia, what is it? Did someone try to hurt you?"   
  
Giving no answer, Ruia launched herself into Athena's arms; she just wanted to be held at the moment.  
  
Athena had no idea what to do now. She had never really dealt with a child this emotional upset before. Something had happened, something grave, but what that was, she had no idea. 'Maybe I should take her to mother, surely she would know what to do.' But Athena made no movement toward the palace, the child seemed content being held. So together the two sat in the sand, offering no words to one another.   
  
"Athena."  
  
Athena raised her head off Ruia's to see Setto standing before her. "Setto, what are you doing here? Why aren't you in class?"  
  
Setto grinned. "We are on break." He knelt down next to the pair. "Athena, is it alright if I talk to our young friend here alone for a minute?" he asked softly, as not to upset Ana even more.  
  
Athena felt Ruia's grip tighten around her neck. "Setto, what did you do to this girl? Don't say nothing either. I can feel her fear towards you."  
  
Setto grimaced. He may only have been two years younger than Athena and techniquely he held more rank than she did, but at the moment, he really felt like his mother was lecturing him. Lowering his eyes off the pair, he finally responded. "It was Yugioh mostly. However I am to blame as well for not putting a stop to what he did. I am here to apologize and make sure Ana was okay."  
  
"The Prince, why am I not surprised? As you can see Setto, Ruia isn't okay. Whatever you two did to her, really upset her."  
  
"I know and that is why I am here. Please Athena, let me speak with her."  
  
"It is not my choice Setto. It is Ruia's." She glanced down at Ruia, whose tears were subsiding. "Ruia, what do you say? Do you want to talk with Setto?"  
  
Ruia hesitated. She really didn't want too, but Setto did say he wanted to apologize, so maybe she should let him. "I will talk to him, Athena."  
  
Setto smiled and let out the breath he was holding. "Athena, why don't you check on the Prince, the last time I saw him, he was a little wet." He winked at Ruia, who blushed and giggled.  
  
Athena glanced at the two and mouthed 'wet' in confusion before heading into the palace.  
  
Setto smiled and turn to the young girl in front of him. "Ruia is it? And here I thought you said your name was Ana. I guess you pulled a good one on the Prince and I too."  
  
"Yeah" Ruia replied, not really sure what to say at the moment. She played with the sand around her, so she wouldn't have to look Setto in the eyes. He had really pretty eyes, the same color as the Nile itself.  
  
Setto stood, reaching down to help Ruia up. "Come on, I have a place that we can talk. I think you will like it there."  
  
Ruia grasped his hand and allowed him to pull her up. She blushed again at the contact that their hands made. 'Why am I blushing so much?'  
  
Together, Setto lead Ruia to an area a little farther away from the palace. Here, there was a large tree, how it got there Ruia had no idea, but is was pretty nonetheless.  
  
"Know how to climb?" Setto asked.  
  
Ruia blinked. "Um, no. We don't have trees like this at my home."   
  
"Well then, I am just going to have to teach you. The view is great up there. Don't worry, we won't go high and I won't let anything happen to you, promise."  
  
Ruia brushed her hair behind her ears. "Alright, teach way."  
  
Fifteen minutes later and a few falls, Ruia was finally getting the hang of climbing. Setto was glad that she was having fun again, but there were so many questions looming in his mind that he wanted to ask, but he had to regain Ruia's trust first.  
  
*SNAP*  
  
Setto jerked his head up at the sound. Only one thing could cause it. Numbly he saw Ruia falling to the ground, at an alarming speed. Acting quickly, he ran underneath her and caught just before she hit the ground. "Are you okay?"  
  
Cradled in his arms, Ruia had lost all forms of speech. She just hoped she wasn't blushing too much. She nodded her head, to answer his question. In the back of her mind, she secretly hoped that he wouldn't put her down. He was kind of cute and sweet.   
  
"Do you want to try it again? You don't have to if you don't want to. We can talk down here."  
  
"No, I want to get this. I wanna climb." Ruia replied stubbornly.   
  
Shrugging, Setto put Ruia back down on the ground and watched her climb the tree again. 'There it is again, that independence nature of hers. She is so young to have it already.' This time, he followed her up the tree; together they sat in silence on the lowest branch gazing at the natural beauty Memphis had to offer: people hurrying around the town square shopping, kids playing games, and visitors asking directions. It was a typical day in the town.   
  
Finally Setto broke the silence. "Ruia, what I told Athena early is true. I am sorry that I didn't step in and stop the Prince from ruining your toy and for what he said."  
  
"Thank you, but it isn't totally Yugioh's fault that I am upset. I was in that mood long before I met up with you two."  
  
"Oh?" Setto asked, turning to face his younger friend.  
  
"Yeah, my daddy and I got into another argument this morning and that just set the tone for today I guess." she answered honestly as she could.  
  
Setto noted the tone of her voice with his trained ears. She soundly so sad by the fact that she and her father fought, but at the same time, seemed a little cold towards the very same man, as if she resented him for an unknown reason. "I see. Ruia, you've been schooled, haven't you?"  
  
She nodded. "My mommy's brother Ay, teaches me at the temple of Ptah. I normally go there every afternoon to learn. But I am on break until Uncle Ay finds material harder for me to learn. He told me that everything is too easy for me anymore."  
  
'Makes sense. Ruia is extremely intelligent for a five-year-old, much like Yugioh. No wonder the two don't get along well, it is the clash of the egos, but yet there is something more to Ruia's attitude, like it is a way of survival as if.' "Ruia, where is your mother? Did she not come too?"  
  
At the mention of her mother, Ruia's eyes filled with fresh tears. Setto quickly gathered the girl against his side and allowed her to cry. 'That is the second time that she has acted funny to the word mother. Something serious must have happened to Ruia's mother that is what caused her to react how she did. But how did the doll fit in all of this…unless.' And in that instant, Seto felt lower that most of Egypt's enemies. He wanted to smack his head off the tree a few hundred times, and then do the same with Yugioh's. 'No wonder she pushed him into the fountain, that doll must have came from her mother. It is the only thing she had left from her mom and Yugioh and I destroyed it. Oh man.'  
  
He was surprised when Ruia tightened her grasp around him. 'And yet, she still forgives.' He moved his arm around her shoulder and pulled her closer, hoping to console her some. 'Such a cutie she is. And a definite match for the Prince.' Setto thought with a smirk. Never did he think he would live to see that day when a girl would out wit the prince. It was a wonderful sight to see. But at the same time, he knew that Yugioh needed to apologize to the girl, especially if what he suspected was true. He started to nudge Ruia to leave, the sooner he got to Yugioh to convince him to say sorry, the better, but stop short when he notice she had fallen asleep. Gently as he could, he picked her up, cradling her in his arms. He was glad the young girl was tiny for her age, or else he never would have managed. Carefully he slipped out of the tree, as not to injure either of them. Walking back to the palace, Setto placed a small kiss on top of Ruia's forehead. 'Don't worry little sis, I'll make sure Yugioh apologizes for the pain he put you through.'  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"We really messed up." Setto said walking to Yugioh's bedchamber without knocking. He had far too much on his mind to deal with trivial actions. The first thing he noticed was that Yugioh had changed into more regal of clothing; black shirt with golden collar and baggy gray pants. The only thing that was missing was his purple cape.  
  
Yugioh glanced up from his desk where he had been practicing his hieroglyphics. "And why do you say that? Did Athena find out that I shoved Ana down? Don't worry, I will make sure she says nothing to father." he replied nonchalantly.   
  
Setto, for the first time in his life, lost his temper with his friend. Grabbing Yugioh's shoulder and spun him around. Blue eyes glaring like ice, Setto stared hard at his friend. "I know you are upset that your father broken yet again another promise to spend the day with you, but that is no reason to take it out on that little girl. If I didn't know any better, I swear she has been hurt just as bad as you. If you would just take the moment to talk to her, I think you would see that too."  
  
"I don't have time to deal with commoners." Yugioh stated sharply. He didn't understand why he was being so cold today. He normally wasn't like this, but after he learned that his father had yet again broken another promise to him, well that had done it.  
  
"Yugioh, drop the attitude. I know you are hurt, but so is she. You know that doll that you ruined? It was a gift from her mother, her dead mother."  
  
The quill Yugioh had been holding dropped from his hand. "Her mother is dead?" Yugioh sharply turned to Setto, eyes wide with shock and dismay.  
  
"Ruia never came right out and said it, but yes I believe that is what happened. That doll was the last thing her mother gave her before she passed away and we destroyed it."  
  
Yugioh grimaced in pain. "I didn't know. Ra, if I had only known." He too knew what it was like to lose a mother, but the pain was a little less for him. He had never known his mother, only heard the stories, however, Ana had known hers.  
  
Setto sighed and took a seat on the bed. "Well we didn't and now we really scared that child. She forgave me and I bet she would forgive you too if you just went and talk to her. Explain what you did and why you did it. She's a pretty smart kid."  
  
A playful grin crossed Yugioh's face. "Why Setto, if I didn't know any better I would think you have a crush on our little friend."  
  
Setto felt his cheeks redden. "She is only five Yugioh, far to young for me."  
  
"Un huh. That is why you are turning bright red too? She'll be seven when you turn ten, that isn't an uncommon age difference for a marital arrangement."  
  
"That won't be necessary my friend, I see her more as the little sibling I never had than as a future wife."  
  
"I must admit, she is unique. She has a lot of guts to stand up to me the way she did."  
  
Setto chuckled, only to be whacked in the head by Yugioh's pillow. "So you do respect her. Why not swallow your pride and go and talk to her at least? You owe Ruia that much."  
  
Yugioh sighed. It wasn't that he didn't want to apologize to Ruia anymore; it was more that he was actually scared of her. Never had he encountered someone with as much stubbornness and spunk as he. "Where is she? I shall go and speak with Ana…Ruia is it?"  
  
"Yeah, she gave us a false name too. She is down in Athena's room sleeping. That emotional outburst she had with us must have drained her energy."  
  
"Alright, I have to take care of something urgent first, then I will go and see her." With that, Yugioh left his room.  
  
Setto sat on the bed and sighed in defeat. He may have convinced Yugioh to talk to Ruia, but he still didn't grasp that even commoners were important. How quickly Yugioh forgot that at one time, he too was common. 'What my friend, can be more important than making someone you hurt happy again?'  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"Go away" Ruia mumbled and rolled over onto her side, refusing to wake up.  
  
The other person in the room sighed and shook the slumbering child a bit harder.  
  
"What, who is there?" Ruia flipped back over, only to come face to face with Yugioh. "Oh it is you. Definitely not the first thing I would have liked to have woken up too, but whatever. Come to yell at me some more?"  
  
Yugioh held back on what he was thinking. 'Definitely not a rise and shine person either.' Finally he answered Ruia's question. "No, I am not here to yell or complain. Rather, I have something for you."  
  
"Something for me?" Ruia sat up, pushing the blue covers from the bed down some. Curiously, she looked at Yugioh, surprised that he had actually gotten her something. Warning bells were going off in the back of her mind that this was a trap, but something about his eyes made her think differently.  
  
"Yeah, for you." Yugioh replied, pulling his hands out from behind his back.   
  
"Aristae!" Ruia exclaimed. There was her doll, sitting in his hands. She was still a little dirty, but for the most part, she was good as new. Without thinking, Ruia grabbed the doll, hugged it tightly, and then launched herself into the Prince's lap, hugging him to death. "Oh thank you. You don't know how much this means to me."  
  
Yugioh felt his check redden. He wished that Ruia wouldn't make such a big deal about this; it made him feel, well uncomfortable. "I think I do understand how much this means to you. Ruia, this was a gift from your mother wasn't it?"  
  
"Ai, it was my Prince." Ruia whispered softly.   
  
Caught off guard, he didn't reply right away. That was the first time Ruia had shown him the respect that his title demanded, though in his mind, he did not deserve it as of late. "You will have to excuse me, I am not the best at making apologies. I haven't had much practice at them. However, you are entitled to one. I acted foolishly before. I should have never taken such a precious gift from you. I was wrong and I am sorry." He was amazed how easily the words came. 'That wasn't so bad.'  
  
'I should be the one who should be sorry. I did not show you the proper respect and I know I forced you into your actions. There is no need to say sorry to me, rather I should say it to you."  
  
'Maybe, this girl isn't so bad.' he thought. "Then maybe we both have something to be sorry for. I hope your doll is okay; I scrubbed as hard as I could to get the mud off. I am afraid that I was a little too late to get all of it though."  
  
"You cleaned Aristae?" Raya exclaimed.  
  
Yugioh laughed. "I know what you are thinking and yes I did. I was the one who almost ruined it; I should be the one to fix it. Gifts from mothers are very special things, especially if it is all you have to remember them by." he concluded softly.  
  
That did it. The tears Ruia had been fighting back streamed down her face, creating little rivers. Yugioh surprised himself when he wrapped his arms around the smaller girl, trying to comfort her. Gently he rocked her back and forth. 'This feels right somehow…'  
  
"How did you figure it out that this was from my mommy?" Ruia sniffled.  
  
Yugioh cupped the smaller girl's chin and tipped it upward so he could see her better. "It was not I, Setto figured it out. And I see know that he was correct in his judgment. How long ago did your mother die?"  
  
Ruia blinked. "I was only two when she died. I don't remember much about her. My father said I take after her most of all. I have the same stubborn attitude. She gave me this doll right before her death, or so father told me. While she was bed ridden, she made it for her little girl."  
  
"I never knew my mother either." Yugioh confessed. "She died giving birth to me. I know as much about my mother as you, probably less. I…I…miss her. There are so many things I would have liked to know, like to have asked her and yet I shall never get the chance."  
  
"I am so sorry."  
  
"No, I am the one who needs to be sorry. I should have never said those things about your mother the way I did. I am sure she was a wonderful mother, no I am positive of it."  
  
"I don't blame you for what you said. I was upset long before I came here. I acted too without thinking."  
  
"Are you still upset?" Yugioh asked.   
  
"Not at you or Setto, I understand what you did and why. And if you can forgive me, I can forgive you. No, I upset with my father." Ruia replied, disdainfully.  
  
"Your father? May I ask why?"  
  
More tears fell. "Today is the marking of my mommy's death. We were supposed to visit her grave and spend the day together, but plans changed this morning. We had to come here. I don't blame your father or even mine really. A job is a job, but sometimes I wish he would spend more time with me."  
  
"I know your pain. My father too promised me a day together. And once again, it seems that he has forgot that promise. I guess we have more in common that I imagined." Yugioh replied thoughtfully.   
  
Ruia nodded in response and snuggled deeper into Yugioh's warm embrace. While she had a crush on Setto, she felt safe in the Prince's arms, like nothing could harm her. "Who would have ever thought it possible?" she finally answered, with a small laugh.   
  
"Setto figured we would get along." He didn't miss the blush that crossed Ruia's face. "You like him, don't you?"  
  
"He was sweet to me and didn't judge me for what I represent, rather looked at the real me."   
  
"I understand. I guess I still have a lot to learn to be a good ruler and how to be a friend, eh?"  
  
"Maybe on how to be a great ruler yes, but you're a pretty decent friend already." Ruia yawned. She could feel her eyelids growing heavy again. She could rest them for a minute or two. No one would mind much.   
  
Yugioh was about to respond when he notice the young girl had fallen asleep in his arms. Smiling softly, he lifted Ruia back into Athena's bed and tucked her back in, laying her doll next to the slumbering child. 'Like an angel.' Yugioh smirked at his next thought. 'But a devil when awake.' Quietly, he tiptoed out of the room, as not to wake Ruia. Before totally leaving the room, he stole a quick glance back. 'If only…' he didn't finish the thought, just turned and left.   
  
Unknown to Yugioh, two shadows stepped forward into the light. "What do you make of this Zemti?"  
  
Zemti sighed. "You know Athena I am bounded by my oaths not to reveal anything about the future unless it is life threatening and this is not the case."  
  
"I know, but I can't help feel that Ruia is something special. That she is destined for great things. And whatever her involvement, revolves around all of our lives too."  
  
"That can not be possible Athena, you know that. She is a commoner and while she does hold more rank than most, it is not enough for her to be involved with any of our lives. It is best that we forget about Ruia."  
  
"Are you sure Zemti? I mean I can not be for certain, but I think she has a crush on the young Setto."  
  
Zemti didn't answer. There was no real way to answer Athena's question without giving away what his visions had revealed to him. 'I wish I could tell you Athena the truth about young Ruia. You are indeed correct that she will play a direct role in our of lives, however, not in the way you would expect. I can not help but be afraid that she will cause all of our downfalls. She is the light that my dreams were warning me of, I know it. She is what my dreams referred to as the Light of Destruction. She must not have any contact with the Prince or the Royal Family. Or else, our civilization is lost forever.'  
  
"Zemti, are you alright?" A touch of concern was etched in Athena's face.  
  
"I am alright. And you are correct as well Athena; she does appear to have a small liking to Setto. But it is best that we forget this young girl ever came into all our lives. I very much doubt any of us will ever see her again anyway." Zemti replied. He started walking away. "I will see you at dinner, no?"  
  
Athena nodded. She watched at Zemti walked down the hallway. 'You're wrong Zemti, Ruia is already a part of all our lives. She has shown Yugioh so much; she simply can't just disappear from all of our sights. No, the fates do not work like that at all. She came to us for a reason, and what that reason is, I am not sure, but meetings like this are never just coincidences.'  
  
She watched as Ruia slept. A smile crossed her lips. Children were so pure and innocent. Then she heard the words that froze her to the ground. "Sekhmet, I will make you proud. Your gift will not be wasted."  
  
Athena's grew large. 'Could it be? Could Ruia be the one mother talked about all those years ago? It can't be, Ruia isn't the second child of the divinity. She isn't royalty at all. It is only a dream, that is all nothing more nothing less.' Athena smiled again before shutting the door so Ruia could sleep undisturbed.   
  
But if she had waited just a moment longer, she would have heard the words that shook the Egyptian culture to the ground.  
  
"Don't worry mama Isis, Sekhmet. I will be a great Divine Mother, just you wait." 


	3. Age Ten: Masks of Friendship, pt one

Disclaimer: I do not own anything expect this plot, Ruia, Khu, and his High Priests. So don't sue.  
  
Anya: Greetings everyone. Here is part one of chapter three. It is going to seem a little slow, but I promise, the next chapter really makes up for it. Hope you enjoy it.  
  
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"Just a little sharper…there it is perfect." The white haired man said, gazing at his handy work. He leaned back on his stool, stretching his longer legs. He had been hunched over his desk for hours, but finally he his patience and dedication had paid off. Carefully, he brought the tip of his arrow to his ebony finger. The apex barely touched his skin before the crimson blood began to seep out and run down to his wrist. He didn't even notice the pain or the blood, rather smiled, baring his white teeth at his accomplishment. 'Excellent. Soon, the tyranny will end.' He placed the arrow next to the others he had made in the previous weeks. He had acquired a great deal of the long silver feathered arrows, but he had to wonder if they would be enough to fulfill his destiny. Of course, if the arrows didn't do the job…  
  
Chuckling softly to himself, the man pushed himself up from the wooden table and shuffled over to the shelf across the abode. Reaching up to the highest shelf, he moved a small blue vase out of the way and grabbed the small box hidden discreetly behind it. Opening the tiny chest, that was no bigger than the size of his palm, he removed the small vial that was nestled protectively between purple silk. He raised the container to eye level and swished the clear liquid around. Excitement glittered over his coal colored eyes. "Soon dear Pharaoh, you're world will come crumbling down."  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"Is everything prepared for the celebration tomorrow night?" Khu asked as he and High Priests rode back to the Palace.   
  
"Ai my King." Qaa stated pulling the reigns of his chestnut horse to trot next to the Pharaoh. "The messenger we sent back to Memphis a week ago returned moments before our breaking camp. He said that all the necessary arrangements have been made and that the increase in security you requested has been arranged as well."  
  
Khu nodded. "Did he bring word of my son? Is everything alright with Yugioh?"  
  
"Yugioh is fine my Lord. I suppose he is a bit anxious to see you if I had to take a guess. We have been gone for quite some time." Qaa replied, looking downhearted. The trip had taken a toll on everyone in the traveling party.  
  
Khu too, said nothing. He wanted to forget why he ever came on this voyage in the first place. If he had only known what the future held three weeks earlier then maybe he could have better prepared himself for the sights. He closed his purple eyes in hopes of washing away in the images he saw before him. So many lives lost. "I pray for the survivors as well as the souls of the people of Alexandria. They may never recover from the loss."  
  
Qaa shook his head in agreement. When word came that the Pharaoh was desperately needed in Alexandria, no one expected that the city be destroyed. But they had arrived, the true meaning of the message was clear…Alexandria had been burnt to the ground. Khu immediately demanded to know who dared to attack one of his cities. However, not one villager knew the answer. The people had worn masks, but from the way the spoke, they were neither Greek nor Roman, rather soundly like the average Egyptian.   
  
And that was what scared Khu most of all. Alexandria was on of Egypt's chief port cities, sitting right on the Mediterranean Sea and the Nile itself. Without it, the economy would surely suffer. But at the same time, why would one of Egypt's own try to destroy the country? Khu didn't have the answer. Realizing that he had left Memphis is a state of vulnerability, he sent half the army he had brought with him back to down to Memphis to guard the people and his son. Till these traitors were caught, no one was safe. Meanwhile, he and the rest of his party stayed on in Alexandria, aiding the citizens in whatever way they could. Though no matter what, Khu knew it would not be enough to repair all the damages that had been done. Nothing could ever fix all the pain and suffering.  
  
"Qaa, I do not want Yugioh to learn of the severity of this trip till after his coming of age party. He should enjoy his birthday and not have to worry about this bandits quite yet." He steadied himself on top of his gray stallion and gently nudged the horse with his heel to change the pace. The quicker he arrived back in Memphis, the better he would feel. Even though he believed the messenger about his son, he had to see Yugioh with his own two eyes.  
  
"If that is what you wish Khu, then it shall be done. Though with Yugioh turning ten tomorrow eve, we must be ready to consider him your heir fully now. He will be accompanying you on all your consul meetings as well as negotiation talks. Eventually, we will have to tell him about this newest threat to Egyptian life."  
  
"You're right of course Qaa, as always, but I want to put it off for at least till after the celebration. There is no need to worry Yugioh, rather let us do it and let him and his friends enjoy themselves. Though, I shall inform Zemti that he is to alert me at anytime of the day with any visions, feelings, or dreams that he has, even if he thinks they mean nothing. We can no afford to underestimate this threat. They already demolished Alexandria and it makes me wonder if these same people are responsible for the attack on Akhetaton last month."  
  
"But Akhetaton was not destroyed. The city took very little damage." Qaa argued. "These murderers leave no evidence. The two styles are different."  
  
"But Akhetaton was attacked first, these traitors could have changed their style. Besides, the army from Hermpolis came and aided their neighbors with the fight. I am afraid that if they hadn't, Akhetaton would have fallen as well."  
  
The two rode in silence, pondering what the other man had brought up. Khu sat deep in thought, not noticing Zemti cutting off his horse.   
  
"My King!" Zemti shouted eyes glazed over with fear and apprehension.  
  
"Zemti, what it the matter?" Khu asked, the butterflies in his stomach growing with each passing second. He could see the panic written in his youngest advisor's face.  
  
Zemti waved his hands wildly, trying not to lose totally control over his emotions, but losing the battle. "I am not a hundred percent sure. I saw the palace." He took a deep breath. "With blood running down the stairs from the main hall."  
  
"Yugioh." Khu whispered. He quickly maneuvered his horse around Zemti and urged his horse to a gallop. He was still a good 3 hours away from the city limits, but he prayed he was not to late to save his son.  
  
"KHU!" Qaa shouted. He received no reply for the Pharaoh was long out of earshot. He turned to Zemti and Sepi, who had a dazed look about him for he had not heard Zemti predictions. "Come on, we better follow. Now not only is the prince in danger, but the Pharaoh as well."  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Leaning against the stonewall that was only waist high, Yugioh sighed, gazing across the palace grounds and the village of Memphis. One day all of this would be his -- and it scared him deeply.  
  
"You know for someone whose birthday is tomorrow, you sure don't seem excited." Thirteen-year-old Setto said, coming up behind the crowned prince.   
  
Yugioh turned from the serene view and gazed upward at his taller friend. In three years, Setto had grown a good fives inches on Yugioh. He didn't mind being shorter, well not that much. Only when Setto teased him about it, which was all the time now that he thought about it. "I guess I appear that way because I am not excited. Setto, am I ready to become an adult?"  
  
Setto frowned. "Sure. We've matured a lot since we first met. You're not nearly as stubborn as you once were. You…." Setto trailed off, trying to find the right words. "You understand what it takes it be a ruler now, that patience, respect, and an open mind is what you need."  
  
"Maybe you're right." Yugioh replied, not looking convinced at all. "It is just, I wonder sometimes what a normal life it like. You and I have been training since I was two and you were five to be the next Pharaoh and High Priest respectively. I just wonder sometimes what it would have been like to be well, normal. Now, with my coming of age party tomorrow eve, it marks the end of both of our training and in turn, our childhoods, even though you are already techniquely an adult. But now that we are truly matured, we are also more importantly rulers in waiting. We will attend every meeting father, Qaa, Sepi, and Zemti go to. We will be expected to make split second decisions that can affect our whole way of living. And not just our lives, but also everyone's. It worries me."  
  
Setto didn't respond right away; rather lead against the wall as Yugioh had done. Leaning on his elbows, he rested his chin on the palm of hand. "Do you think that I am not afraid as well my friend? I am terrified of the day when we rule over these lands. It is not that I think neither you nor I can handle our jobs; no it is more of an underlying fear that we will not live up to the expectations that your father, Qaa, Sepi, Zemti, and all the others have laid before us. I was lucky; I had three extra years to train in order for you to reach your adulthood. But even now, I have to wonder, is it enough?  
  
Yugioh hopped up on the wall and sat down. It wasn't an action for a Prince or adult for that matter to do, but he was still a kid for a little over a day. He was going to take full advantage of that. "It has to be enough, we are out of time. But in all reality, I don't think any amount of training could prepare us for the tasks that we are about to undertake. Qaa can no longer teach us, rather it is experience's turn."  
  
"No wiser words have been spoken my friend." Setto gazed down the steps. "Any idea why your father doubled security?" I thought we had enough guards stationed for tomorrow."  
  
"As did I, but those guards was part of the convoy that accompanied father to Alexandria. I don't understand why he sent them back post haste like that."  
  
Setto shrugged. "Maybe the problems in Alexandria weren't as serve as we originally thought."  
  
"No, if that was the case, father wouldn't have posted guards in the town and palace. If anything, I think we underestimated the disaster." Yugioh replied, letting his blue cape blow in the breeze behind him.  
  
"You don't think Alexandria was destroyed do you?" Setto exclaimed, mouth dropping open in disbelief.  
  
Yugioh nodded. "It is the only reason why dad would behave this way. Alexandria, what ever happened there, scared him deeply. Enough to send troops home."  
  
"But Alexandria's army and navy…surely…" he didn't finish the thought. It was inconceivable. The city of Alexandria, it couldn't be gone, could it?  
  
Silently the two pondered the fate of Alexandria, each praying to Ra that their original assumptions were wrong. Yugioh yawned and lay back on his arms. Closing his eyes, a gentle breeze blew past his face.   
  
The next thing Yugioh knew what that he was being yanked off the top of the wall and being forced against the wall. He struggled against his attacker, prayer that Setto was okay.  
  
"Are you alright?" Setto asked, alarmed laced throughout his voice.  
  
Yugioh opened his eyes. "Setto?" he said, confused. "Yeah I am fine, what is wrong? Why did you pull me off the wall?"  
  
Still staying low, Seto raised his arm and pointed to the far wall near the entrance to the palace.   
  
Yugioh turned and felt sick. The gentle breeze that nipped at his face was not the wind as he thought, rather an arrow that was now sticking out of the red flag. An arrow that was meant to kill him.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"What's wrong?" Ay asked his niece who was staring blankly at her schoolwork. Normally Ruia loved to learn, but today, he couldn't get her to focus long enough to learn anything.  
  
Ruia raised her eyes to her uncle and placed her quill down. "Uncle Ay, am I a bad person?"  
  
"Of course not Ruia, why would you ever think that?"  
  
"It's the same thing every day. Dad says something to me and I open my mouth and somehow it leads to an argument about something."  
  
Inwardly, Ay sighed. He loved his niece and brother - in - law dearly, but the two of them were heading for an all out war if they were not careful. Ay refused to take sides in any of the battles, mainly because he saw both sides of the issue. Ruia was stubborn as anything and often spoke her mind out of turn. While at home that wasn't a problem, however in public, it could and normally did lead to serious trouble. Sugoroku didn't help the issue though by overprotecting his daughter that fueled Ruia's behavior even more. She was bound to act and rebel the way she did. But no matter what, Ay had promised his twin that he would look out for his niece and he was determined to live up to that oath. "So what happened today?" Ay asked, sitting down on the stone steps. He raised his blue eyes up to the young girl.  
  
"It was stupid, all our fights are anymore. But father makes me so mad when he tries to dictate every little aspect of my life. I know he is trying to prove to everyone that he can be a good father and mother, but there are limits and he keeps overstepping them." She paused, and then continued once she regained control over her temper. "Anyway, do you remember the performance Anzu and I did for the celebration of Sekhmet last week?"  
  
Ay nodded. He remembered that day quite well. He was so proud of Ruia. At nine, she was asked to sing at the ceremony of Sekhmet, a very rare and honorable privilege. Even at such a younger age, Ruia already had an incredible voice.  
  
"Well I guess during the performance, dad heard some people calling me a siren again. At first, he was not going to say anything to me, I am sure of that, but this morning I was singing as I cleared the breakfast plates. Dad came back into the room and started yelling at me to stop. And from there the fight escalated into him forbidding me to ever sing again because it brought disgrace to our family name. I however, told him that I didn't care what the villager's thought that I was going to do what I loved. Of course, dad wasn't pleased with that answer."  
  
Ay fought against the rage that was growing in his chest. 'Again with the siren? Don't people realize what damage that could do to a person? I know some villagers are jealous of Ruia's talents, but she is nine, not nineteen. Being called a siren is one of the biggest insults you can call another person; after all, they lure people to their deaths. Ruia's voice is that pretty, but woman enjoy her voice too. Sirens only attract men, not woman too. Besides, sirens are Greek, not Egyptian.' Ay thought silently to himself. "You should always strive for the things you love Ruia, but you should also respect your father's wishes. If he doesn't want you to sing in public, than do that. But there is nothing wrong with you singing at home or giving your uncle concerts." he replied, winking.  
  
"How do you do it Uncle? I think father would have agreed to that if we didn't have that argument earlier. I mean, I enjoy performing in public, but since I am not quite an adult yet, I will have to obey father's wishes. Even when I turn ten next week, I have a strong feeling that father will still try to control my life." Ruia replied sulking. She slumped further down in her chair.  
  
'Oh I know he will, but that will be no easy task Ruia, you have the fighter's spirit in you.' "You are his pride and joy Ruia, he just wants the best for you, even if he doesn't show it too you in the best of ways. Just keep the faith little rose, all will work out in the end."  
  
Ruia smiled at her uncle's pet name for her. "I hope you are right. I feel bad though. It is not father's fault that mom died and he practically all alone in raising me. I know I am stubborn and unconventional, but that is I. Why can't father understand that?"  
  
"You just asked the eldest question we as a civilization have Ruia. Why can't parents understand their children and why can't children understand their parents?"  
  
"I understand father just perfectly. He is out…."  
  
"Do you really understand his motives?" Ay cut in, raising his eyebrow some.  
  
Ruia opened her mouth, and then close it. Resting her head in her hands, she sat and contemplated Ay's words.   
  
Ay stood and kissed the top of Ruia's head. "Think about it little Rose. I am going to prepare for tonight's services. I shall return soon."  
  
Ruia watched as Ay exited. Sighing she stood, moving over to the large bookcase behind her. She could hear the people upstairs, leaving offerings in the temple of life. She knew her uncle wouldn't return for at least an hour, so it would give her time to ponder what Ay was trying to tell her. But in all actuality, that was the last thing she wanted to do. She didn't understand her father and he didn't know her. It was simple as that. 'I don't know what to think anymore. I know I am wrong, but father is too. However, according to Ay, there are reasons why father behaves the way he does. I just wish someone would tell me what those reason were. Maybe then, I could better explain father's reactions to me and mine to him.'  
  
Reaching up to the middle shelf, Ruia pulled down one of her favorite works. Settling down on the ground, Ruia leaned up against the wall and opened the book to where she left off. The book wasn't anything overly powerful; rather it was just an ordinary work on her favorite subject, religion. And even better, on her favorite goddess, Sekhmet.   
  
Ruia felt strangely connected to the goddess of war. She could relate to Sekhmet on many levels, the biggest being that both appeared to be destructive on the outside. Sekhmet for her wars and Ruia for her fighting spirit. But what many tended to forget was that the goddess was known for protection, a gentler side that not many had seen. Ruia knew what that was like too. Even though she argued frequently with her father, she always felt guilty on the inside. 'I bet Sekhmet fells the same way. We both are always being judged by our outside actions, not our inside. We are judged long before people know the real us.'  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Yugioh stared at the arrow embedded into the red flag. Dimly he heard Setto shouting into his ear, trying desperately to snap him out of his daze. But at the moment, Yugioh only had one thought going through his mind that made any sense at all. Someone was out to kill him.   
  
"YUGIOH! YUGIOH!" Setto shouted louder this time. He grasped his friend on the shoulders and shook lightly, hoping against hope to bring the Prince out of his shocked state. He was really worrying Setto. The Prince's eyes were glazed over, focused on the silver feathered arrow and nothing else "Come on Yugioh, snap out of it. We need to get off the clearing and back inside." He shook a little harder. Still receiving no response, Setto did the only other thing he could thing of.  
  
*SMACK*  
  
Yugioh blinked and raised his hand to his cheek and gingerly placed a finger on the spot where Setto had hit him. "You hit me." Yugioh declared, not realizing he was stating the obvious.  
  
Sighing with relief that Yugioh was back, Setto gave a small smile. "It was the only way to reach you my friend. You were pretty much gone. I believe your attacker has disappeared, but let us flee back into the palace. No sense in letting the assassin attempt another free shot, for I fear if he did, he would not miss."  
  
Yugioh nodded. "Yes.." His voice cracked with fear. He cleared his voice before speaking again. "Yes, let us go inside." He tried to stand, but found himself unable to move. He was paralyzed with fear, nor could he stop shaking. 'I wish father was here.' he thought wishfully. Yugioh didn't even jump when he felt Setto wrap his blue sash around the prince and help him to his feet. "Thank you Setto."  
  
The elder nodded. "Come, let me get you to your room. I'll find Athena and ask her to get you something to calm your nerves down. Then I am reporting to the guards with this." Setto yanked out the arrow and flashed it around his face. "Oh Ra no."  
  
Yugioh turned to Setto in alarm.  
  
"Yugioh, please tell me that this arrow didn't touch you at all."  
  
"No, it breezed past my face as I laid back on my arms. It never came in contact with me at all. Why?"  
  
Setto looked skyward and whispered a quick prayer of thanks to all the gods and goddess for looking out for the young prince. He brought the arrow closer to Yugioh. "Look at the tip, but DON'T touch it and tell me what you see."  
  
Yugioh stared at the tip; not noticing anything different about this arrow than the ones he and Setto had been trained with. "I don't see…."he trailed off when the sun's rays bounced off the arrow, revealing a reddish tint to a small part of the arrow. "Poison." Yugioh whispered.  
  
"Exactly, the assassin is taking no risks, if he missed with his shot, he surely felt that the arrow would have grazed you, injecting the poison into your system. I am not sure how deadly this particular one is, but I am betting that death is almost instantaneous."  
  
Yugioh paled further. Noting his friend's weakened condition, Setto moved over, draping one of Yugioh's arms around his shoulders. Moving as faster as possible, Setto dragged the Prince back into the safety of the palace. However in the back of his mind, he wondered just how safe his home away from home really was any more.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Yugioh sat on his bed, shaking furiously despite having three thick blankets around him. Athena placed a small mug with a warm liquid into his hands. He graciously accepting the mug and sipping it slowly.   
  
"Do you need anything else my Prince?" Athena asked worryingly.   
  
"I will be all right Athena, just alert me when father returns." he responded, eyes never wavering from the cup.   
  
Athena briskly nodded and exited the room.   
  
Yugioh raised his head and watched the older woman exit. Sighing, he turned to look out his window. A sudden fear gripped at his heart. He was sitting directly in front of the window. His assassin could easy strike again. Slipping off the bed so not to be seen from the window, Yugioh laid his head against the bed. 'I'm paranoid. The assassin is long gone now. But that doesn't mean the fear left with him. I don't understand though. Why is someone trying to kill me? I have no real control over the country yet, so that doesn't make me a threat, unless….father. Oh Ra no. Could Alexandria been a trap as well? A trap for dad?' Despite the blankets, Yugioh felt his blood turn to ice. 'No one has heard from father's convoy since he sent the original troops back, and that was over a week ago. Anything could have happen. No, my father is strong. Everything is all right. I know it. I can sense it.'  
  
Yawning, Yugioh felt his eyelids grow heavy. 'There is no time for sleep. Too much to worry about, too much to prepare for.' Closing his eyes, he drifted off into a shallow sleep, exhausted from the day's events.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"Is he okay?" Setto whispered to Athena as she exited the Prince's room.  
  
Athena shrugged. "Physically he is stable, but emotionally and mentally, well those are another issue. He is frightened as well as alarmed. It doesn't make sense why someone would try to assassinate Yugioh now."  
  
"Unless the Pharaoh is dead which means Yugioh has inherited the throne and we don't realize it." Setto said slowly, eyes widening with shock. "By the gods good grace I pray that I am wrong."  
  
"As do I Setto." Athena replied, biting down gently on her lip. "Yugioh couldn't handle it if something happened to his father."  
  
"You are probably correct with your analysis." Setto sighed. He felt so helpless. There was nothing he could do for his younger friend, except be there. Right now however, Yugioh didn't even want that. Solidarity was the only comfort Yugioh sought. "I wish there was something more we could do for him but…"  
  
"There is nothing." Athena finished. "I know what you are feeling. But when the time comes, he will need his friends, especially you Setto. You are his most trusted and loyal of friends. He will turn to you for strength if disaster does indeed arise." She tossed her hair behind her. "If you or the Prince require my services, I will be in the main hall, waiting for the Pharaoh to return." Athena spoke, and then remembered her place. "That is, if you grant me leave, Setto."  
  
Setto smiled faintly. "Athena, you know that you do not have to ask permission from either Yugioh or myself. You and your mother practically raised the two of us, even though we have parents of our own. You are my equal, nothing less."  
  
"Thank you." Athena replied. She turned and walked down the hallway towards the Main hall, footsteps echoing back to Setto.  
  
Huffing, Setto leaned against Yugioh's bed chamber doors and slumped to the ground, not caring for once whether someone yelled at him for improper behavior or not. Resting his head against the door, Setto closed his eyes. He had a feeling it was going to be a long night, but he refused to leave the door; out of fear of another attack and out of apprehension in what Yugioh would do.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Ruia flipped to the next page of her book, she had read three chapters already, when she head Ay's light footsteps approaching the study room. Marking her position in the book, she snapped it shut and glanced up at her uncle.  
  
"Reading Sekhmet again I see." Ay chuckled. He took the blue covered book from his niece and ran his hand over it.  
  
"I can't help it. For some reason I am draw to her, her magic, and even life. It is so fascinating, but strange nonetheless."  
  
"Strange indeed." Ay replied, hoping his face did not reveal the truth. He promised Aristae long ago that he would train his niece in both academics and magic. It sounded foolish that Ruia had mystical abilities, but the evidence was there. The Mystical Elf card that was given to Ruia at her birth, her fascination with the goddess Sekhmet, and the accuracy of her visions, it all support that Ruia was blessed -- and Sekhmet was the goddess who had done so. When Ruia turned ten next week, he would reveal all he knew about Ruia, powers and all. He wasn't sure how she was going to react to the news, but he still had to tell her, especially about his suspicions that she was divinity. And if Ruia was in fact the Divine Mother….well that left Ruia with a huge decision on her shoulders. And with that decision came the fate of a whole civilization. Ruia wouldn't turn evil; she was too pure of a person, despite her actions with her father.  
  
"Are you okay Uncle? You dazed out for a minute. Shall I send for a healer?" Ruia asked as she rose to her feet, green dress skimming the ground. She touched Ay's forehead as if to check for a fever.  
  
Ay snapped out of his thoughts. "Huh? No Ruia Ana, a healer will not be necessary. I was just caught up in my thoughts, nothing more."  
  
"So it was not a vision? That is a relief." Ruia let out the breath she had been holding. Her uncle's dreams scared her, not only for their accuracy, but for their content as well. They were always about death and dying. 'And it seems that I too have inherited that awful family trait.' Ruia shuddered at the memory. She had seen the palace, but something wasn't right about it. She was there with numerous others celebrating something. And then everything turned sour. The screams had been so loud; it has left her practically deaf. The attack had been horrible. Blood clung to the walls everywhere. The worse had to be the smell. Death had a smell, and it still clung to her no matter how hard she tried to get rid of it. 'But none of this could ever come true. I am a commoner; there is no reason for me to be at the palace. Father told me that I was there once when I was five, but I do not remember much about it, just a tree and a fountain, but most of all, a promise. But who did I make a promise too and what was that promise? I don't remember. Loki.' Ruia blinked. She had forgot the name from her dream. 'Could Loki be the one I made the promise too? No, that cannot be right, Loki means trickery and is evil in Norse religion. It must be hinting to something else, but what that is, I do not know.'  
  
"You better head for home little Rose. It will be dark soon and Sugoroku will be worried about you. "  
  
"Dad? Worried? I doubt it." Ruia bent down and gathered her school supplies.   
  
"He does care for you Ruia," Ay replied, placing the book back on the shelf. "Just remember what I told you earlier."  
  
Ruia nodded. "I will try uncle, that is the best I can do for you. I won't promise you anything."  
  
"That is all that I ask Ruia." He walked his niece to the temple stairs. "I am not asking you to change your ways, just consider all possibilities."  
  
Ruia grinned. "I understand." She turned and walked down the stairs.  
  
Ay watched as little Rose scurried through town towards her house. Once she was out of sight, he turned to walk back down the corridors. 'Ah Ruia, already you understand the cruelties of this world. Just stay focused a little longer for soon you will be able to do something against all of it. You will be able to prove to the world you have a gentler side, just like Sekhmet. Just be patient.'  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"Where is my son?" an alarmed voice cried out.  
  
Setto snapped open his eyes, hitting his head off the door in the process. 'Oww' rubbing the back of his head, Setto heard the voice yell out again. 'I know that voice, that is the Pharaoh's.' He stood and dusted off his robes. Moments later, Khu appeared, Shua in tow. She was attempting to explain to Khu the events that had transpired earlier, while keeping pace with the King.  
  
At seeing Setto, Khu stopped and offered tiniest of smiles to his son's soon to be High Priest. "Thank you Setto. Thank you for saving my son's life."  
  
He could feel the redness creep up into his neck and cheeks. "It was nothing my King. If the roles were reversed, Yugioh would have surely done the same."  
  
"I have no doubt in my mind that he would." He paused briefly. "I am sure your family is concerned about your whereabouts Setto. Maybe you should return to the village post haste."  
  
"I ask for your favor to remain at the palace. I wish to assure myself that Yugioh is indeed alright."  
  
"Granted. I shall return shortly." Khu moved around Setto and opened the doors to his son's room. Taking a deep breath, he walked in, not sure what condition he would find Yugioh in.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Khu walked into the bed area of his son's room, glancing for any signs of his only child. Though Athena, Shua, and Setto had assured him that Yugioh was fine, just shaken, he had to see it with his own two eyes. Only then would he be convinced that Yugioh would be all right.  
  
The room was pitch dark, not a single candle had been light and night had fallen hours ago. 'Ra please let Yugioh still be here.' He couldn't imagine his son running off, but the fear was still there. "Yugioh? Are you here son?"  
  
"Daddy?" A small weak voice croaked out.  
  
The voice had come from the side of the bed. Khu could just make out a small figured hunched next to the bedpost, leaning against it. "Yugioh!" Khu ran over and knelt down next to his son. Grasping his son on the shoulders, Khu gazed over him, taking in every little detail.   
  
Blinking, Yugioh over came his initial shock and launched himself into his father's lap. He didn't care if he was ten; he had almost died and led to believe that his father was dead. He cried into his father's shoulders, letting everything that he had bottled up finally out.  
  
"Shh, it will be alright Yugioh. I am here now. I promise, no swear, I will let no harm come to our family. I will find this person that threatened you." Khu held his son closer to him, letting his son cry all he wanted. Never, not even on the anniversary of his wife's death, had Yugioh been so distraught.   
  
"Da, what happened in Alexandria? Is it related to my attack?" Yugioh asked suddenly, raising his head off his father's shoulder.  
  
Khu tensed. He couldn't tell Yugioh the truth, not after tonight. "It was nothing son. Don't let it concern you right now. You have a big day tomorrow, your coming of age party."  
  
"Father stop. You and I both know you are lying. Tell me the truth about Alexandria. Something serve happened there or you never would have sent half the troops home." Yugioh paused. "The city has been destroyed hasn't it? That is the only logically explanation."  
  
"Ra's insight proves you will Yugioh." Khu stated, not catching his mistake in time.  
  
"Ra? What does the all mighty sun god have to do with me and Alexandria?" Yugioh asked with a blank look crossed his face.  
  
"Don't ask me to explain Alexander. Not now at least. It is complicated. You need not concern yourself with any of this." Khu plead, trying to down play his son's importance to Ra.  
  
Yugioh stared into his father's eyes. Suddenly he pulled out of his father's embrace and shrugged off the blankets that were wrapped around his shoulders. He rose to his feet and stalked away from the Pharaoh. "Fine, you can avoid my questions for now, but after tomorrow, I will be an adult, which means you can no longer hid any of these problems from me. It will be my birth right and duty and not even you father can prevent that."  
  
"STOP!"  
  
Gulping, Yugioh turned back to his father. He was in deep trouble. He knew that tone that his father was using. Yugioh offered no words in response to his dad, who was still sitting on the floor.  
  
"Sit" Khu commanded.  
  
Yugioh fell straight to the floor. "Father, I…"  
  
Khu turned and raised his hand to silence his son. "You are correct Yugioh. You will be ten tomorrow and do have a right to know the truth. But you have to understand, I am just trying to protect you."  
  
"Protect me from what?"  
  
Khu lowered his eyes. He rubbed his palms together wrestling with the idea of the truth.  
  
"Father, please." Yugioh begged. "Trust me."  
  
"Alexandria, I am protecting you from Alexandria."  
  
Yugioh reeled back in surprise. He sat in puzzlement for some time. "Why are you protecting me from the city?"  
  
"Not the city, but what happened there. The city is in ruins; hundreds are dead. Alexandria may never recover."  
  
"Alexandria is destroyed?" Yugioh exclaimed. Sure he and Setto had speculated, but never did he expect their suspicions to be true. "But I still do not understand, what does this have to do with me?"  
  
Khu sighed. "Unfortunately, everything."  
  
Bewildered, Yugioh just stared at his father.  
  
"No, I suppose you wouldn't understand." Khu exhaled. "Yugioh come here and I will reveal to you all that you seek."  
  
"Promise?" Yugioh asked, raising an eyebrow.  
  
Khu nodded, eyes not wavering from his son or the window, which happened to overlook the temple of Ra.  
  
"Then tell me, what does Alexandria have to do with me? I have been in that city twice that I know of."  
  
Khu rubbed his temples. His head was starting to pound. "The city of Alexandria has nothing to do with you, rather it was an example, a warning."  
  
"A warning? Of what?"  
  
"That Loki was coming for you." Khu raised a hand to stop his son form asking questions. "What I am going to tell you Yugioh does not leave this room. You cannot tell even Setto this. For what I am going to tell you, not even Zemti, Qaa, or Sepi know of this."  
  
"I give you my word father."  
  
"While we were in Alexandria, I was approached by a elderly woman. She didn't offer me a name, nor did I ask for one. But what she did give me was far more valuable, information on the attacks. Apparently the city was destroyed by a group of bandits that are loyal to a man named Loki. In Norse religion, Loki is the god of trickery and is considered evil as they come. For some reason, our terrorist chooses that for his alias. Fitting, I believe."  
  
"How does this affect me?"  
  
"The woman explained that Loki is searching for the one boy and one girl who bring his reign of power down. The Divinity Children."  
  
Yugioh face faulted. "The divinity children, but they are nothing more than a myth, they can not be real, right?"  
  
"At one time, I felt the same as you, but then we found the evidence of their existence." Khu reached down around his waist to grab the small pouch that hung there. Reaching into the pouch, he removed a case. "Take this."  
  
Yugioh accepted the case and popped the lid up. Resting inside was a card. "The Dark Magician? I remember reading about him. He was a real monster that was used in the shadow games, but didn't Grandfather seal away that magic? How is this card here?"  
  
"Ai, your Grandfather did seal away that particular magic away, but the Shadow Games are not quite gone. Instead, today people use stone tablets to summon the spirits of the monsters to our world to battle one another. It is not nearly as dangerous as it once was."  
  
"Then what is the significance of this card then? Obviously it is vital to our civilization because you always kept it close to you but…"Yugioh trailed off, not sure what else to say.  
  
"The card represents everything. Protection, wisdom, the sun god Ra himself. Shua found it with you when you were just a week old. Don't you see son, there is only one way a card such as this could have fallen into your possession. Ra himself gave it to you. He blessed you Yugioh, gave you the powers of a god, but more importantly, he gave you divinity."  
  
"I…I…I…posse the divine light?"  
  
Khu nodded. "I did not believe it myself at first. But Shua swore to me that on the day this card was found, she saw the eye of Horus on your forehead - the symbol of divinity. Shua did not say anything at the time, in order to protect you better, but she came to me when you started your training. She, as well as I, knew your magic training would have to be rougher than Qaa originally planned. While normal magic allows you to summon the spirits from the stone tablets, yours allows you to call forth the monster itself. Or so the legends say."  
  
"And this is why Loki fears me? Because I am divine?" He rotated the card in his hand. Yugioh could feel the power the card posed. It scared him, but at the same time, confronted. It was a soothing thought to know that he had such a powerful ally behind him."  
  
"You are what the legends refer to as the divine father. Since it is Ra that chose you, it is most likely your powers deal with that of the mind."  
  
"You spoke of another before, a young girl. Will she be in danger as well?"  
  
"The Divine Mother, yes of course. I had forgotten about her."  
  
"Who is she?"  
  
Khu shrugged. "We do not know. I tried to find this young girl but all the leads I ever found turned up nothing. And because of this, she is dangerous."  
  
"She's dangerous? Not in danger? How?"  
  
"She has not been properly trained. If she had, we would have heard something about her, but yet there is nothing. I doubt the girl even knows she has powers. And that is why she is in no immediate danger. If we don't know who she is, Loki doesn't as well."  
  
"Maybe her family is just waiting to tell her, just like you did with me."  
  
"Even though I choose not to tell you of your divinity to your coming of age, we started your training when you were two. But this girl hasn't. You have read about the downfalls of divinity correct?"  
  
"Where there will come an age will one of the chosen children falls to the darkness, correct?"  
  
"Yes, and I feel that the time has come. This girl will suffer that very fate if she does not start her training soon. And if Loki succeeds, which he never will, but if by some chances you and I fall by his hand, she is the only hope Egypt has."  
  
"How does Loki know about me being the Divine Father?"  
  
"Your training. He must have put two and two together. We didn't keep the information tightly sealed as I would have liked, that is the only explanation."  
  
"Then Loki will not stop until he has killed me."  
  
"I will never let that happen son, but yes it does seem to be the case." Khu whispered, trying not to let the panic overtake his voice.  
  
"Then he will attack at the party tomorrow." Yugioh stated, slowly.  
  
"I have every notion to cancel it." Khu sighed.  
  
"No!" Yugioh replied with a grin. "Let us have the party. We can use it to lure this Loki out of hiding and when he shows his face, we will have him. Do not fear him father. After what you have told me tonight, he cannot beat us. With the Dark Magician on our side, that means we have Ra's favor. I am confident that he will protect all of us and lead of to victory."  
  
Khu narrow his lips. "Are you sure my son?"  
  
Of course." Yugioh replied without any hesitation. "Besides even if he doesn't show, you know our family can not have a party without some form of unique entertainment."  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"Anzu, what I am going to do? Father is being is good old stubborn self." Ruia complained, burying her face into her hands.  
  
Anzu moved to sit at the foot of her best friend's bed. She tossed a piece of her long reddish - brown hair behind her. "Ruia, I don't understand, why you wouldn't want to go to the celebration. All the countries' royalties will be attending, Rome, Greece, Jerusalem, everyone. Why don't you want to attend the Prince's coming of age of party?"  
  
"Do you want the short or long version?" Ruia replied, half jokingly. Anzu just gave her a sour look. "Okay okay. It is like this Anzu, I don't fit in there. Everyone there will be royalty and I will just be a simple commoner. Sure those things really don't matter to me, but it will tonight, because in their society, it does matter. Ra, I wish father would just let me stay home."  
  
"I think you are lucky to be going Ruia. I would give anything to go." Anzu replied, softly.   
  
"Want to go in my place?" Ruia asked, brushing out her long hair, trying to style it for later that night.  
  
"I wish I could, but you know your father would not permit it. Here let me work a bit with your hair."  
  
Ruia handed her the brush, then continued the conversation. "It wouldn't be so bad if dad didn't try to run my life day in and day out. I am practically an adult and yet he insists on treating me like I am two or something. Sure I don't know everything there is to know about our civilization, our world, but he doesn't have to keep me in a bubble too. Let me make some mistakes."  
  
"He's learning to Ruia. We've been through this before. You just have to be patient."  
  
Ruia sighed and slumped down on her desk. "It isn't that easy Anzu. You don't have to live with father and his oppressive ways. Maybe I am too stubborn, but father needs to learn that I am capable of choosing what I want in life and what not. You know he forbade me to ever sing again don't you?"  
  
The brush clattered to the floor. "He did what? Oh Ruia, you must have been so upset."  
  
"Not upset, furious more like it. I mean I don't care what the villagers think. I know I am not a siren, but father refuses to ignore the rumors. Instead he fuels them more by hiding my talents. But of course in the end, I lose one of the most important things to me, my music. Father and I had a wonderful fight about it earlier this morning. I just don't understand what happened Anzu. It wasn't like this when mother was still alive. We were happier then, freer. But now…" Ruia shrugged. "I doubt I will even have a relationship with my father much longer. We don't see eye to eye on anything. Maybe the pain will stop once we give each other the silent treatment."  
  
Anzu's eyes grew large. Her friend couldn't mean what she just said. "Ruia, you don't mean that do you?"  
  
"I think I do. Father and I have never gotten along and things do not seem to be getting any better. I love my father to death, but I have to be true to myself too Anzu. Music is apart of me; I just can't let that go. I tried explaining that to dad, but he didn't understand. How could he though, he was never called a siren."  
  
Kneeling, Anzu moved next to her best friend. "So the name does bother you. I thought it did. You are not a strong as you appear Ruia Ana."  
  
"The name never bothered me until it finally took away from me what I loved to do. I can't even sing at home anymore."  
  
Anzu didn't miss the gleam in Ruia's eyes. "But you are going to anyways, aren't you? Ruia, why provoke your father like this? Doing stuff like this is the reason why you and your father do not get along."  
  
"Anzu, please try and understand my motives. It is like you and your dancing. If your parents suddenly took it away from you because of a rumor, would you give it up?"  
  
"No." Anzu stated, realizing what Ruia was driving at.  
  
"And why is that?"  
  
"Because I love it."  
  
"Exactly. Just like I love my singing. It is in my blood Anzu. It is the first thing I think of in the morning and the last thing I think of at night. It is my stress relief when father and I feud. Music is my passion, my life. Can you understand that?"  
  
Anzu nodded. "Yes I think I do. However that does not solve your current problem. What are you going to do about the party?"  
  
Ruia threw up her arms in despair. "What can I do? There is no point in arguing with father. In the end, I will still have to go to the crummy celebration. I just wish you could come too Anzu, at least then I would have someone to talk to."  
  
"I am sure you will meet some wonderful people Ruia, maybe even a guy." Anzu answered, laughing.  
  
"Boys." Ruia shook her head. "I can deal without them thank you very much. The ones in Uncle Ay's classes have made me hate them all."  
  
"Nonsense. There is the perfect boy out there for you somewhere Ruia. Who knows, maybe you'll meet your future husband at the party."  
  
"Never will work, I am a commoner. Royalty does not marry commoners. We both know that."  
  
Anzu grinned. "And since when did rules like that stop you?"  
  
Ruia laughed. "Never I guess."  
  
"Exactly. So, what are you wearing tonight? Your green gown or the blue one?"  
  
"Neither. Uncle Ay told me that those were too plain to wear to the palace. He brought over one of mom's old dresses. They used to attend palace functions when they were children." Ruia moved to her area where she kept all her clothes and pulled on a white gown with gold speckles that glistened when the light caught it.  
  
"That is beautiful Ruia." Anzu whispered. "All the guys will want to dance with you."  
  
Ruia laughed and hung the dress back up. "With a commoner like me? Please."  
  
"I thought the ceremony was masked, which means no personal information can be given out till the unmasking. So they won't know your background. And by the time they do, you my friend, will have already one their hearts over."  
  
"You sound like one of those romance stories of fearless knights hearts being won over the lowly peasant girls. As much as I would love for that to happen here in the real world, it doesn't."  
  
Anzu sighed. "Maybe you are right, but that doesn't mean we can't dream about it happening."  
  
"You dream for me Anzu, I will be to busy trying to stop my father from arranging a marriage."  
  
"He wouldn't. I know your father would let you choose your own husband. Besides, arrange marriages are for royalty. We're peasants." Anzu laughed. "We get a choice. And I thank Ra everyday for that. Could you just imagine meeting your husband on your wedding day? What if he was like, ugly?"  
  
Ruia forced a smile. She knew Anzu thought she was joking about the whole arrange marriage situation, but the truth in the matter, she wasn't. She had overheard her father and uncle discussing it late one evening when they both thought Ruia was asleep. At the time, Ruia wanted to storm into the room and put an end to the whole topic, but she found herself frozen to the ground. Even her uncle had agreed with Sugoroku. "Yeah, but we don't have to worry about this, now do we?" she asked, with a forced grin.  
  
"No, I guess not. But what we do have to worry about is what we are going to do with you. If you are going to meet you future husband tonight, then I am going to make sure you are the one he never forgets."  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"Ruia, are you ever going to speak to me again?" Sugoroku asked his daughter and they walked to the palace.   
  
Ruia turned and raised an eyebrow. It was hard to see under her mask though. Letting out a gusty sigh, she replied. "Of course father, I am still upset that you are making me attend this celebration, but there is nothing I can do about it now is there? There is no reason for us to argue and ruin both our nights." Ruia didn't tell him the real reason why she didn't want to attend the party, her dream, and vision whatever. It placed her at the palace, which meant death was certain to follow.  
  
Sugoroku patted his daughter's hand. "Just enjoy yourself tonight Ruia. Don't worry about trivial matters now." He paused and took a good look at his little girl. "You look so much like your mother when she was a child."  
  
Ruia cringed. She wished her father had not made that comparison. While she loved her mother to death, being compared to her made her feel guilty and apprehensive. But she said nothing. 'Dad knew mom since they were seven, seeing me like this must be painful. Just don't say anything cruel Ruia.' "Thank you father."   
  
"There is the palace now, shall we head in and be the hit of the party?"  
  
Ruia laughed. "Does this mean I can be my normal self?" At seeing her father's terrified look, she stopped. "I was joking dad, don't worry I won't do anything to embarrass the family."  
  
Her father's gaze softened. "I know you won't. Come, let us enter and enjoy the festivities."  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Setto watched as Yugioh paced about his room. "It's a birthday party Yugioh, not a war between counties, don't be so nervous."  
  
Yugioh turned to his friend and forced a smile. 'If only he knew the truth. I know Loki is going to show his face tonight.' Snapping out of his thoughts, he answered Setto's comment. "I'm not nervous, just um…trying to figure out how to conceal my hair. It is too recognizable for a masked party."  
  
"I see, so you want to hide your hair so if you find a girl to dance with, she won't be intimidated by your status, that and you don't want every girl coming up to you for that very same reason. Sly Yugioh."  
  
"You caught me Setto. I am looking for my future wife out there." Yugioh rolled his eyes. 'More like hiding myself from Loki.' He grabbed a black ball and crushed into his hand. Massaging it in his palms, he then rubbed it in his hair.  
  
"What are you doing?"  
  
"Just watch."  
  
Setto watched as Yugioh's normal cornfield colored hair turned pitch black. "Impressive, but please tell me that the dye is not permanent."  
  
"Nope, it washes out. Father told me he used this stuff all the time to escape the palace when he was a child. He learned it from grandfather."  
  
Setto smirked. "Now there is useful information if I ever heard it."  
  
"I know." Yugioh turned to face his friend. "So, what do you think?"  
  
Tapping his chin, Setto stared. Yugioh's black hair really did make him look like another person other than the crowned prince of Egypt. And with the deep red robes and black mask he was wearing, no one would ever guess his identity. "You know, the color read represents love. That supports my earlier theory." he replied with a grin, knowing full well that it would annoy Yugioh.  
  
"Jealous?"  
  
"Not in the least bit. Why would I be jealous of you?" Setto replied with a devilish smile.  
  
"Because my friend, I have the looks, the charm, and the…"  
  
"The ego to match."  
  
Both boys laughed.  
  
"Well Yugioh, enough stalling. Shall we head to the main chambers for the celebration?"  
  
'As much as I want to say no, I must attend to draw Loki out of hiding.' Adjusting his robes one last time, Yugioh nodded. "Let the fun begin."  
  
  
Anya: Just to answer a couple of quick questions I received:  
  
Leilani - Thanks for the candy corn, it is actually one of my favorite, next to pure chocolate.  
  
ebony unicorn - The sequel to Family History is going to be posted (hopefully) sometime after my winter break. I am planning to use my three weeks off to really work out all the details and do the necessary research for that story. If all goes as planned, that story should be out roughly in a month, if not sooner. I am going to really try to get that out sooner, but with exams, work, and school, it is going to proven a little difficult, but I will keep you posted.  
  
Lady Armandina - I know where you live too, right in the next wing. *locks door*   
  
Krystal-chan - I don't think Rising to Destiny will make 27 chapters, more like 10 - 15. But the sequel if I had to estimate right now is looking to be around 30 chapters, if not more. So I hope that you aren't too disappointed that the prequel isn't as long as Family History. 


	4. Age Ten: Masks of Friendship, pt two

Disclaimer: Studying to hard last night, too tired to write real disclaimer. But I don't own Bryan Adams Don't Let Go either.  
  
Anya: Okay everyone, here is part two. Now I hate to say this, but I probably won't be able to update this story for little over a week. Now I have a semi-good reason. College is being all evil to me and is making me take final exams. So that means I have to really study and unfortunately that means I won't be able to work on this story till after them. I hope everyone understands.  
  
Oh one more thing, Starheart, all I have to say is we think a lot alike.  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~**~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Yugioh stared out over the crowd that had gathered for his party. All around him, people laughed and danced as the music played in the background. He had tried to get into the festivities, he had even danced with a few of the girls that appeared to be his age, but nothing had distracted him from Loki. It consumed his whole being. Loki could be there at that very moment, waiting to strike. Yugioh was just glad he had thought to conceal his identity his hair. That surely would have given him away.  
  
His eyes darted out across the dance floor once again. 'At least my guests are enjoying themselves. I wish I could do the same.' So far however, not one person had been able to distract him long enough to enjoy his birthday. Even his father had found someone to talk to, the Grecian King. Yugioh smirked. The two countries had never seen eye to eye on any diplomatic means, but tonight, they had put aside common differences to celebrate. Even Setto was having fun, dancing with a young woman. 'Glad Setto is enjoying himself.'  
  
Yugioh sighed and leaned up against the pillar behind him. He found himself wishing that Loki would just attack so that the threat would be over with and he could go on with his life. 'I should smack myself for even thinking like that. Maybe I should just go out there and try to occupy myself. There is no point in driving myself crazy by waiting.'  
  
He started back down the staircase he had been standing on when a figure across the floor caught his eye. She was standing off to the side, looking quite bored. He couldn't believe that. 'How is a girl that beautiful not dancing.'?  
  
The girl was watching the others dance and seemed quite content doing so. Yugioh didn't understand. She was stunning, with her long golden brown hair done in a simple braided bun, with tiny wisps pulled out that framed her delicate curved face. Her gown simmered off the lights, giving her the appearance of a goddess. Hurrying over, he gently tapped the girl on her shoulder. Bowing, he spoke. "Good evening maiden." Yugioh rose back up. "Wow." he muttered, not able to stop himself in time. Even through the girl's white-feathered mask, he could see she had the most gorgeous, but passionate iris-purple eyes he had ever seen.  
  
Ruia curtsied, blushing all the while. She was thankful the boy, who ever he was, could not see. "Good evening to you as well sir. I pray the gods find you in good favor this day."  
  
Yugioh jerked up. He almost hadn't heard what the girl had said to him. He had been staring off into his own little world. He couldn't help but be memorized by her natural pose and beauty. "The gods find me very well." Yugioh replied. 'Very well indeed.'  
  
A soft, sweet sounding music filled the grand hall that was decorated in the family colors, purple and gold.  
  
"Would you like to dance?" Yugioh found himself asking.  
  
Ruia extended one of her hands toward Yugioh and grasped a piece of her gown with the other. "It would be an honor." She allowed the red robed boy to lead her to the dance floor. She smiled as he took a hold of her other hand and started swaying to the music.  
  
Yugioh returned the smile. As he danced, a feeling of awareness washed over him, leaving him confused, but overwhelmed with the feeling of joy too. He could not recall a time when he had been more pleased than in that very moment. He couldn't explain it, but it felt right dancing with this girl. As they danced around the floor, Yugioh felt himself falling more into this aura the girl radiated with. And as time passed, the rest of the world ceased to exist.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
'I must be dreaming.' Ruia thought as she waltzed with the young boy. She wasn't much of a dancer, that was Anzu, but for some reason, it was like she was an expert tonight. But none of that mattered any more. 'I must have died because I know this boy is not real. No one can be this perfect.' From the moment he had spoken to her, Ruia felt as if they had known one another forever. The feeling had multiplied once he had grabbed her hand. It had been like magic. Never had she experienced a sensation like that before. 'Could this be love?' she thought as she stared up into the boy's intense purple eyes. Normally, she would have been worried about that intensity, but she just knew his was from wisdom, not anger. 'This cannot be love. It simply cannot be. I don't even know him or what he looks like for that matter.' But as she continued to stare, she literally found herself lost in his eyes. 'Please Khonsu; do not let the moon give into the morning sun. I do not want this moment to end.' Even the boy's black hair, which she knew to be fake, a piece of golden color hair had been left uncovered, sent shivers down her spine.  
  
The song ended suddenly there after. Ruia blinked and snapped out of her daze. Across from her, her colleague was doing the same. Ruia tilted her head upward. "It was a pleasure." She took a single step away and it felt as if her heart was shattering into a thousand pieces. 'What is going on?' Ruia thought as she placed a hand over her heart, taking a deep breath. 'This does not make any sense at all.'  
  
A hand grasped her wrist and spun her around. Pressed up against the boy's chest, Ruia felt her heart flutter in pure excitement. Oh how she wished she could just see his face, even for the briefest of seconds. Then the night would be perfect.  
  
"I can not allow you to leave." Yugioh stated, cringing. He prayed that his maiden did not pick up on the royal command in his voice. "I mean of course you can leave, it is your decision, but…I mean…oh I do not know."  
  
Yugioh widened his eyes in surprise when Ruia cupped his chin and lowered it. 'Ra, she is beautiful. What I would not give to see her face without the mask.' Their faces were so close now; Yugioh could feel the warmth of her breath on his face.  
  
"Shh. You do not have to say anything. I know." Ruia whispered, placing her index finger to his lips. She grasped his hand and winked. "I really did not want to leave anyway."  
  
Yugioh smiled. "I am glad. I did not want you to leave either. Rather, I want to know all about you." 'Like your name for starters.' he added silently to himself.  
  
"There is not much I can tell you since the purpose of a masked ball is to conceal your identity." Ruia responded, tweaking the black nose of his mask.   
  
"Ai, you are right. I guess I will just have to wait till midnight." Yugioh responded, still holding his maiden close. 'Maybe it is for the best; I do not want her to feel uncomfortable because I am the crowned prince of all Egypt. Granted she is some form of royal blood, but still, my status could be intimidating. I wonder if she is from Lower or Upper Egypt. Her voice sounds of our culture.' "Shall we head back to the dance floor maiden?"  
  
"Of course…" she trailed off. "What shall I call you though? Besides gorgeous that is?" Ruia's eyes widened and turned a deep crimson. 'Once again, I managed to speak out of turn.'  
  
Yugioh chuckled softly. "You may call me anything you wish. You speak and I swear I will listen." He gently brushed a piece of her hair.  
  
"If I did not know any better, I swear you were the world's biggest charmer."  
  
"What changes your mind?"  
  
"I don't know. Just a simple feeling I have." She gasped as Yugioh dipped her.  
  
"Go with that feeling." He replied, winking. Raising her back up, they continued to dance. Moments later, he caught Setto's eye. The boy grinned devilishly at the Prince. Yugioh hugged his maiden tighter and winked back. Never had he felt like this, so happy.  
  
Resting his chin on Ruia's shoulders, he closed his eyes and allowed the music to capture him. He felt his maiden nestle her head against his own shoulder.  
  
"I can't believe this moment's come.  
It's so incredible that we're alone.  
There's so much to be said and done.  
It's impossible not be overcome  
Will you forgive me if I feel this way?  
Cuz we've just met, tell me that's OK  
So take this feeling'n make it grow  
Never let it - never let it go." Ruia sung softly to the music.  
  
"Don't let go of the things you believe in.  
You give me something that I can believe in.  
Don't let go of this moment in time.  
Go of this moment in time.  
Don't let go of things that you're feeling.  
I can't explain the things I am feeling.  
Don't let go.  
No, I won't let go." Yugioh added softly.  
  
Ruia tighten her grip around his neck and whispered.   
"Now would you mind if I bare my soul?  
If I come right out and say you're beautiful.  
Cuz there's something here I can't explain  
I feel I'm diving into driving rain  
You get my senses running wild  
I can't resist your sweet, sweet smile  
So take thins feeling'n make it grow  
Never let it - never let it go.  
  
She lifted her head and Yugioh did the same. Together they locked eyes.  
  
"I've been waiting all my life  
To make this moment feel so right  
The feel of you just fills the night  
So c'mon - just hold on tight."  
  
When they had both finished, their faces were only inches apart. Yugioh leaned forwards and Ruia closed her eyes, waiting for his sweet lips to claim hers.  
  
She felt his lips brush gently across hers when a loud bang echoed through the room. Men poured down the stairs, arrows raised, ready to attack and screaming. The two jolted back from one another and turned to the source of the sound. Yugioh pulled Ruia closer in a protective embrace. "Loki." They both whispered, knowing he had to be the cause. The two stared at each other in shock at the realization that both knew of Loki, but were quickly brought back to reality as sheer terror and pandemonium broke out between the guests. "Come on." Yugioh shouted above the noise, pulling Ruia from the battle. Palace guards were taking care of the immediate threat, but he still wanted to get her out of Loki's way. They headed down to the west wing. Yugioh promised himself that he would protect his maiden at all costs.  
  
"But, but my father…I have to find him." Ruia stated, heading back for the party room.  
  
Yugioh grabbed her by her waist, pulling out of harms way. "Do not be foolish. Your father will seek protection." He shoved her down into a small opening in between the pillars, a place he used to hide from Qaa as a child. "You'll be safe here." Without thinking, he kissed her on her lips. "Stay here till I return."  
  
"Wait, where are you going?" Ruia cried, but her mystery man was already out of hearing range.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Yugioh ran back in the main hall in a dead sprint. He gazed over the battlefield, scanning for any signs of his father and friends. His eyes settled on Setto, who was locked in a fierce sword battle with one of Loki's minions. While he was concerned with his friend's safety, he knew Setto was better trained. Setto proved that seconds later as he ducked under his opponent's sword and swiftly brought his knee up into his assailant's stomach.   
  
'I better draw Loki out. Setto and the guards can handle the invaders.' Yugioh careful made his way around the main room and headed for the east halls, making sure to be in full view for Loki to follow.  
  
Unknown to the crown prince, a figure weaved though the shadows and quickly ascended the stairs that led to the balcony that over looked both the main and throne rooms. Staying concealed into the darkness, the figure followed Yugioh towards the throne room.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Yugioh entered the throne room, had positioned at his waist. The room seemed empty, but he knew that to be false. He could sense Loki's presence. "Come out Loki, I know you are here."  
  
A deep chuckle and clapping echo from the throne. Yugioh watched as a tall, white hair man descended.   
  
"Very impressive, Prince Yugioh or should I say Divine Father?" Loki asked grinning.  
  
"If you know who I am, you know what abilities I posse. Why do even dare challenge me?" Yugioh replied, trying to keep his voice steady and calm.  
  
"Is it not clear? You are just the pawn in a much grander plan. I need you to lure the Divine Mother out of hiding. Once I have the two of you together, I will be able to pick you off easily. And once the two of you are gone, I will be able to end this oppressing dynasty without threat."  
  
Yugioh slyly smiled. "Just one flaw with your oh - so - great plan Loki, the Divine Mother isn't even here. In fact, I have no idea who she even is."  
  
"Well, I can see your powers are untrained. The Divine Mother is here, at this very moment. Can you not feel her presence? Her emotions are like home beacons. If I wanted to, I could go now, find her, and kill her."  
  
"NO!"  
  
"YES. And once she realizes that the Divine Father is in mortal danger, she will come to me. Destiny assures that."  
  
"Destiny assures nothing. We have the right to choose. It does not control us."  
  
"That may be true young prince, but this is a special case. The Legend of Divinity states that the divine children are soul mates, bounded together by the light itself. They are destined to be with one another for all life times. Even if this is partially true, she will come to me and walk straight into my trap."  
  
"Never, I will never let you near the Divine Mother." Yugioh hissed. "You will have to go through me first. And I promise you Loki, that will be no easy task."  
  
Loki raised his bow and arrow and pointed it directly at Yugioh's heart. "Consider the challenge accepted. Though, I do not see how you will stop me. Both you and the girl are untrained to your full potential." He fired the arrow.  
  
Acting quickly, Yugioh dove, tucked, and rolled out of harms way. Yanking something off his waist, he tossed it high into the air. The card flipped over and over again. In a loud commanding voice, Yugioh yelled. "Dark Magician, arise!"  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Ruia inched her way out of her hiding place, watching the hallway intently. People had streamed past her, but none had been her father or the enemy. She really did want to keep her promise to her friend, but she couldn't sit here and let her king be attacked, not when she was a daughter of his. It wasn't her natural to sit back and let others lead. But she would let the enemy come to her. It was the first rule of combat Uncle Ay had taught her in self-defense…doesn't look for trouble, let it come to you. But no one had come or seen her yet. 'Wait, what is that sound?'   
  
Ruia pushed herself up closer to the wall and strained to hear the muffled sound. 'Footsteps, but where are they coming from?' Risking being seen, Ruia leaned a bit out farther into the hallway. At first she could not see anyone, but at the last second, she saw a figure move up the far stairwell, concealed in the shadows. 'Busted. But where is he going?' Taking a deep breath, Ruia crawled out of her hiding spot and moved along the shadows after the mysterious individual.  
  
'I may not know what you are up to, but I will not let you succeed.' She could not shake the feeling of impeding danger for someone. It burned deep inside her chest. 'Mark my words; you will not complete your mission. I will see to it.'  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Loki watched as a gust of blue light swirled near Prince Yugioh. A cold mist burst through the room, chilling Loki to his spot. When the mist and light had cleared, Loki found himself face to face with another being. The man's face was hard and chiseled in anger. A piece of his blue hair fell across his eye, but he made no attempt to move it. Clad in all purple, the man held out his staff protectively in front of the Prince.  
  
"You summoned me master?"  
  
Yugioh climbed to his feet in awe. He never expected his magic to work, just by time. 'I guess Qaa and Sepi training paid off.' Still, he was in disbelief. "You're…you're real." he managed to stutter.  
  
The Dark Magician managed a tiny smile at his young master innocence. But he had more important matters to attend too. He turned back to Loki. "You threatened my charge, my protégé. I will not stand for that. You and your minions will pay for that, pay dearly."  
  
Loki laughed and raised his bow at the Dark Magician. "You think I fear you. Don't mind me while I laugh." He pulled back the string to his ear.  
  
"I will not let you kill the Divine Father. It is my sworn duty to aid and protect him."  
  
"You will have no choice in the matter." Loki let go of the string.  
  
Moving at lightening speed, the Dark Magician spun his staff, deflecting the arrow away. It snapped into two once it hit the ground. "Tsk Tsk." he responded, waving a finger. "I seemed to have broken your arrow…now I will break you."  
  
Loki growled. "You may have stopped my arrow assault and you may even defeat me. But my followers and fellow believers are numerous. They will rise together. You will never be able to be completely rid of us. This Pharaoh dominated tyranny will end, starting with you Prince Yugioh. It will especially be fitting to see the divinity children fall as well. Even as we speak the Divine Mother gives away her location, in fact, she is seeking out of one my followers now. It is only a matter of time before he realizes she is there and kills her."  
  
"No!" Yugioh screamed. He moved for the main room, only to be blocked by his guardian.  
  
"Don't worry master Yugioh. We will save the divine mother, but first, let us deal with this traitor."  
  
Yugioh nodded. "Dark Magician - ATTACK!"  
  
The Dark Magician shot out his palm. "DARK MAGIC ATTACK!"  
  
Loki screamed in sheer pain. "You may have defeated me, but others will take my place. I swear on it. Curse you Prince Yugioh!" Loki fell to the ground, not moving.  
  
"Is he dead?" Yugioh asked, moving in front of his guardian.  
  
"No, I did not kill him. I figured the Pharaoh would have a far better fate plan for Loki than I could by giving Loki a quick death."  
  
"You are probably right. Thank you."  
  
"It is my job to serve master." he replied, dropping to a knee.  
  
Yugioh acknowledged. "What do you know about the Divine Mother."?  
  
"Not much Prince. Only that she is the opposite if you in almost every aspect. Where your powers are from the dark realm, hers is light. Your realm of influence is the mind, just as mine is. Hers could be anything but the mind. But the two of you share some common features. You both posse the will of the gods, meaning you are their equals. You and the Divine Mother are the most powerful true humans in all of Egypt, if not the world. Even though Rome and Greece has divinity children as well, it has always fallen to the Egyptian Divinity Children to undergo the most difficult of struggles. That is why the prophecy of the Divinity children is so closely monitored by everyone. You do know of the dark legend."  
  
"That one of the chosen children will fall to the darkness, thus bringing in an age of total darkness. Father said that it is likely that this year could be it."  
  
"He has every right to be concerned. The gods have foreseen it."  
  
"You mean either I or the Divine mother will give into the darkness?"  
  
"Or one of your offspring, if you have one."  
  
"So what Loki said is true, we are soul mates."  
  
The Dark Magician nodded. "Kind of. There is no written law saying that you and this girl will meet and fall in love. But there is always a chance. But if that should happen, your offspring would be the most powerful being this world would have ever seen for he or she would be a creation of both the light and the darkness."  
  
"I understand, but you have no inkling to whom the girl is that we seek or whom her guardian is?"  
  
"Her identity has been safely guarded, even from me. As for guardian, it is the oath of the monsters in my world not to reveal the divinity children until their guardians give heed."  
  
"Wonderful. The Divine mother is in grave danger and I have no idea who is really is!"  
  
"You should be able to sense her, especially is she is untrained like Loki said. Then any magic yielder could."  
  
"Can you? Because I am having a difficult time sensing her presence."  
  
The Dark Magician's lips thinned. "No, I can not either, which is peculiar. Do you suppose Loki was bluffing that she was here?"  
  
"No," Yugioh stated slowly, remembering the white feather masked girl. "I think I was dancing with her before the raid. I do not know who this girl really was, but I felt something, a feeling deep inside of me. Like I had known her forever." He shook his head. "If she is the one we seek, I know where to find her. I left her safely concealed, away from harm. How long will he be out for?"  
  
"Awhile, but we should find something to tie him up with, just in case."  
  
"Yes of course. But after that, we will find the Divine Mother."  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Ruia crept silently up the stairs; careful not to alert the man she was following. At the top, she turned the corner and gasped. She had almost fallen directly on the top of the enemy. 'Too close.' she thought as she moved back into the stairwell, making sure she was hidden by the darkness. She watched as the man removed a small pouch from his pocket. Removing a small bottle, the man poured the liquid on the arrow that was in his other hand.  
  
'Poison.' Ruia thought; blood boiling, 'But for whom?' She strained her ears in hope to hear some clue to which the man was trying to assassinate.   
  
Chuckling, the man loaded his poison soaked arrow into the bow. "Come on little prince, move into my range…"  
  
Ruia covered her mouth to muffle her gasp. 'He's going to kill the crown prince! I have do something but what?' She blinked as her mind went blank. Panic gripped at her heart. Agony and despair tugged at her very core. Fire ran through her veins. The pain was sudden and overwhelming. 'Ra make the pain stop.' she begged. Ruia stumbled forwarded, gasping for air.  
  
"Well, well. What do we have here?"  
  
Ruia glanced up, sweat running down her face. Pointed in her face, was the poison laced arrow.   
  
"What is a pretty thing like you doing up here?" the man asked, giving her a smile. Ruia felt utterly sick.  
  
"Stopping you, that is what." Ruia responded, her voice oddly calm and certainly not hers.  
  
"And just what do you plan to do sweetheart?"  
  
Ruia smiled. "This."   
  
The man stumbled back as Ruia began to glow.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Yugioh gasped as silver - golden light filled the upper balcony. "What in the name of Ra?"  
  
The Dark Magician grabbed his charge and pulled the prince behind him. 'Never have I seen or felt such a intense amount of power.'  
  
The two watched as an older man walked backwards from the source of the light, not realizing what was behind him.  
  
"Dear Ra no!" Yugioh whispered as the man backed into the rail and flipped over from the sudden shock of hitting something. His scream was muffled as his guardian turned him into the purple robes. Finally the Dark Magician let go. "Is he?"  
  
The Dark Magician moved over to the man. "I don't believe it. He is just unconscious. But a fall like that should have killed him. It took a great deal of magic to prevent death from that height."  
  
"But who could posse magic like that?" Yugioh countered.  
  
The two locked eyes. "The Divine Mother."  
  
"Loki was right. She did know I was in danger. Look at the arrow, it is covered in poison. But I don't understand. We have been assuming that the Divine Mother is untrained, but now, I am not sure if that is the case."  
  
"Nor am I. But I think I know how to get some answers. If the Divine Mother was just up there…"  
  
"Then she probably still is." Yugioh finished. "Come on."  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Ruia watched as the man continued backing up. She wanted to scream out to him to watch the railing, but something prevented her from doing so. So the man continued pacing backwards, until he hit it and flipped over. 'NO!' she silently cried. She had to do something, anything, but the light had taken control of her body. She was reacting on instincts and nothing else. And as quick as the light came, it vanished. Ruia crumpled against the far wall.  
  
'What was that?" she thought as she panted heavily. Weakness and fatigue settled in her bones. She did not know what she did to cause that light, but what it was; it scared her. 'I have to get out of here. No one must know it was me that caused that light. I am already considered a siren, I do not need power calling me a witch too.' Pulling herself to her feet, she ran down the steps and back to the party room, praying that she would not collapse. She felt so lightheaded.  
  
"RUIA!"  
  
She turned and saw her father. "Daddy!" She ran and embraced him.  
  
Sugoroku was surprised by the gesture, but returned the hug anyway. "Come on, let's get you home. I think the party is over. There is no sense in you seeing all this."  
  
But Ruia had already seen what had transpired. She could smell death again. It was in this very room. Though she couldn't see death or the ones that death had claimed, she knew death was there.   
  
She allowed her father to led her out of the palace and return to their home. She walked into her bedroom and settled by the window that over looked the town. Though everything looked peaceful, she knew that couldn't be farther from the truth.  
  
Ruia watched as her father left the house again and hurried back to the palace grounds, holding something tightly against his chest. He was, in no doubt, making sure that towns monthly offering was going out to earlier to make sure to help with the repairs. Gently, she removed her mask. 'I killed someone tonight.' The very notion echoed in her thoughts. 'It had to been done though. He would have killed the crowned prince. However, a life is a life.' Ruia felt dirty. 'And what was that light that posed my body? It was so intense, so powerful. It scares me.'  
  
'I know the light cannot be evil; it is too pure. And yet, that very light can kill. What does it have to do with me though? Why do I have this light? I cannot explain it, but it feels right, like it has been apart of me since my birth. I know mother passed on her visions to me, but is there more? And if so, why haven't I sensed this light before? What made tonight so special that it decided to reveal itself to me? Did dad and Ay know I have this gift? Why didn't they tell me? Or is it that they do not even know the truth?  
  
"Oh mamma, I wish you were still here now." Ruia spoke, looking at the nighttime sky. "There are so many questions I have to ask of you, but would you even have the answers that I seek?"  
  
Gripping her mask tighter in her hand, she suddenly remembered the mysterious boy. Softly, she touched her lips where he had kissed her. 'I wonder who he really was.' Ruia thought. She fought the impulse to run back to the palace and launch herself into his strong arms. 'Father would be furious if I returned to the palace, especially alone. But this is a matter of the heart. I doubt he is even still there. Most of the guests had fled the palace once the battle started. Still, he promised to return…' Ruia stood and moved towards the door. She had to go back, her soul mate was waiting. But at the door, she stopped. 'I can't. The mask held back the truth. This boy must think am I a princess or of some royal blood. But once he learns the truth, that I am nothing more than a commoner, he will want nothing to do with me. I am not from their world.' She stared at her reflection. Her clothing, jewelry, and hair made her appear like royalty but she knew better. 'Tis best not to do anything. I shall not return to the palace, despite what my heart may tell me. I do not belong in that world, nor do I really belong in mine. I am still searching for where I belong. But I do know it has nothing to do with the palace. Still though, I have to wonder, who was the face behind that black mask?'  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Yugioh ran up the stairs, taking two at a time. He had to find the Divine Mother. At the top of the stairwell, he found the bottle that had contained the poison, but nothing else. "She's not here."  
  
"Then what Loki said is true. The Divine Mother is untrained. To suddenly use powers you never knew you had must have terrified her off. She has gone back into hiding."  
  
"But Dark Magician, how did she use that much power? Can I do the same?"  
  
"You can, with the right amount of training. I just do not understand how the Mistress managed it without training. No wonder people fear her. Unless, no."  
  
Yugioh blinked. "What?"  
  
"I was just thinking. The legends say that one of the divinity children will fall to the darkness, which is why people fear you all. But to have that much power already cannot be right. She was helped."  
  
"By whom?"  
  
"Her guardian. Sometimes, in extreme cases, the guardians will reveal themselves to their protégé before they learn of their divinity. I think this is such a case."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"She must have been close to death as well. That is the only reason I can think of."  
  
Yugioh nodded. "She knows then. The girl knows of her divinity now?"  
  
"Maybe not. Sometimes the guardian can take over, without the girl knowing anything at all. And if that is the case, she must be overwhelmed."  
  
"Can you do that too?"  
  
The Dark Magician nodded. "I can, but now that you know of the truth, there is no need for me to do so. However, this girl knows nothing and that can be dangerous."  
  
"For power without knowledge shall bring forth destruction."  
  
"'Exactly. You spoke earlier of a place where the Divine Mother may be hiding?"  
  
"Yes, if it is the girl I was dancing with earlier, than I know exactly where she is hiding. Come on."   
  
The two hurried back down the spiral stone staircase. Turning left, Yugioh moved back to the spot were he had hidden his dancing partner. "She's gone!" he shouted, genuinely surprised.  
  
"Then it must have been she that saved your life. There is no other explanation. There are far too many coincidences for that girl you were dancing with. She had to have been the Divine Mother."  
  
"Is there any way we can track her down? Follow a magic trail, something?"  
  
The Dark Magician shook his head no. "No, her aura is safely hidden again from all of us. There is no way to find her now. We will just have to wait till she decides to reveal herself once again."  
  
"Can I, I mean Egypt afford to take that chance?" Yugioh asked, pacing about the hallway. 'I can't lose her. I don't even know her, but yet…'  
  
"You really like her don't you master?"  
  
Yugioh blushed. " I can not explain what I feel. I mean I never met anyone like her. I do not understand it. I know about her or even what she looks like. But the feelings, they are still there."  
  
The Dark Magician started to reply when footsteps approached the two. "Master, I should go. The people need not learn of your abilities quite yet. If shall need me, just summon." With a burst of light, the Dark Magician disappeared.   
  
Yugioh sighed and slumped against the wall. 'I've lost her. I lost the love of my life forever.'  
  
"Yugioh?" a voice yelled.  
  
"Down here Setto." Yugioh yelled back.  
  
Setto and three others came down the hallway. "Thank god Yugioh. Your father is in a near panic. We couldn't find you anywhere. Loki has been captured. No one is sure how, but we found him unconscious in the throne room."  
  
Yugioh nodded, staring at the three people behind Setto. "I do not want to seem rude, but who are all of you?"  
  
The white hair boy stepped up first. "I am Bakura from Lower Egypt. I am to be a member of you High Priests. I shall be your visionary and doctor. I do hope this is okay, Prince Yugioh. Your father was going to introduce me and my fellow High Priest at the unveiling, but then this Loki character appeared."  
  
Yugioh nodded and turned to the black hair man. "And you are?"  
  
"Jarha, my Prince. And this is my sister, Satire. We are both from Upper Egypt." Jarha replied. "You're father has asked me to be your third in command. I shall aid you in external affairs if you see fit."  
  
Yugioh smiled. "I am sure my father has chosen perfectly well. I am just sorry your first night here had to be as rough as this one. I assure you, it is normally not this bad. Are you staying the night or returning to your home towns?"  
  
"I shall be returning back to my family." Bakura replied.   
  
"My sister and I shall be as well. However, our family will be moving to Memphis soon so that it will be easier for me to receive my training from Sepi."  
  
Yugioh nodded. "That is most kind of your family to pick up and move like that."  
  
"It is an honor that your father chose my brother to aid you." Satire responded shyly, not making eye contact with her prince.   
  
Yugioh smiled. "Satire is it? That is a lovely name." He hoped to put the young girl at ease. "Setto, where is my father? I wish to speak with him."  
  
"He is with the town bursar at the moment. But I shall take you to your father if that is your wish."  
  
"Yes, I need to speak with father before the night is through. Bakura, Jarha, and Satire, I apologize for my quick departure, but I wish to assure myself that my father is unharmed."  
  
Bakura looked up. "Of course Prince. We totally understand. Go to your father. We shall return and speak of the future another time. Tonight, be with your father."  
  
"Thank you." Following Setto down the hall, Yugioh walked off to find his father. 'I am not sure what I am going to tell father, but he needs to know that my magic worked. He also needs to know what I learned about the Divine Mother as well.'  
  
"So where is your girlfriend? You seemed close to her. Do you know her?" Setto asked, smiling.  
  
"I never met her before Setto. But I have never felt anything like I did when I was with her. And yet, I didn't even get her name."  
  
Setto's face fell. "I take it then she is already left the palace."  
  
"I am assuming that is what happened. I haven't seen her since the raid started." Yugioh gulped. "How many casualties are there?"  
  
Setto sighed. "We lost three of our own guards, four of Loki's followers, and two non-palace guards."  
  
"You mean two guests were killed?" Yugioh gasped. "NO!"  
  
"Ai, it is true. One was slay to death protecting a woman one of the followers had taken a liking too and another had a heart attack."  
  
"And father? How is he?"  
  
Setto and Yugioh stopped in front the meeting room doors. "He is distraught, but still in control. He will feel better once he knows you are alright."  
  
Yugioh smiled. "Setto, would you mind staying out here? I wish to speak to my father alone."  
  
"Okay, I understand."  
  
Yugioh softly smiled. "Thank you." He opened the doors and stepped inside, wondering all the while how he was going to break the news that he had seen first hand the power the Divine Mother had and what a threat it was to Egypt.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Ruia walked down the steps when she heard her father return. "Father, is everything at the palace all right now?"  
  
"Nine dead, five were our own."  
  
Ruia gulped. One of the four non-loyalists she had killed. "Oh father, that is horrible."  
  
"But that is not the strangest thing of all Ruia. The Prince witnessed a miracle. One of Loki's followers fell from atop the balcony and crashed to the ground. But when Yugioh checked on the man, he was still alive. It was a miracle. No one could have survived a fall like that."  
  
"The man is alive?" Ruia stuttered out. 'How can that be? I saw him fall. He should be dead. But he isn't. Thank Ra, I am not a murderess.'  
  
"Ai, he is. It is simply amazing."  
  
"It is. I think I am going to retire to bed father, it has been a long night."  
  
"It has. Good night Ruia." he paused. "I love you."  
  
"I love you too father." Ruia rose and headed back to her room. Once inside, she collapsed on her window seat. 'The man is alive. Oh thank Ra. I didn't kill him.' A weight had been lifted from her shoulders. 'But I do not understand. How did he live?'  
  
"You willed him to live. You used your powers."  
  
"Who said that?" Ruia asked, searching for the voice.  
  
"I did."  
  
Ruia turned and saw the silhouette of a green dressed woman. She was not human; the blue skin gave that away. "Who are you?"  
  
"My name is Mystical Elf. I am your guardian."  
  
"My guardian? From what?"  
  
"I can not say at the time. It is not my place." the Mystical Elf replied. "In time, you will learn the truth about how special you really are Ruia."  
  
"I do not understand. I am just a commoner. I can not be that special."  
  
"That is where you are wrong my protégé. You are more important to this civilization than you give yourself credit for. One day, I hope to fully explain that to you."  
  
Ruia's face clouded over. "Why can you not tell me now? Why wait?"  
  
"It is not my place to explain this to you. There are better people out there, more worthy to tell you."  
  
"Who?"  
  
"Look into your heart Ruia you know."  
  
"Uncle Ay. He knows the truth, doesn't he?"  
  
The Mystical Elf nodded. "The answers you seek he can provide. But Ruia, you must ask yourself if you are ready to learn the truth, about yourself and your destiny."  
  
"My destiny?" Ruia thought. "That light, is that my destiny?"  
  
"I wish I could explain it too you, but I am bounded not too. I shouldn't even be here now. But I could not let you go on blaming yourself for actions that you had no control over. It was I that was with you on the balcony. Together, we created that light. I couldn't let that man kill you, not with so much at stake."  
  
"Is the Pharaoh and his son in grave danger?"  
  
The Mystical Elf nodded. "As well as you Ruia. Once you know the truth, you will understand what I am saying. Just be on guard my child. There are dark forces at bay that will stop at nothing to destroy the ones that stand in their way. But just remember, I will always be there for you, no matter what."  
  
Ruia smiled. "I may not understand fully what you are saying, but I know you are speaking the truth. How I know this, I do not understand, but yet I can sense you are being completely honest with me. If my uncle holds the answers that I seek, then tomorrow morning, I shall visit him and demand the truth. Then maybe you can fully explain your mission to me."  
  
"Until then Mistress, I bid you good night."  
  
Ruia snapped awake. 'Was that all just a dream? Did I imagine that entire conversation? I could not have. It was too vivid, too real to all just be a simple dream.' Ruia sighed and stared out the window. 'The Mystical Elf instructed to seek out my Uncle, that he held the all the answers that I seek. But I think I already may hold on of the answers to my questions. All this time I felt that I was different and now I know why. I posse magic, powerful magic.'  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Yugioh sat on his bed. He had called forth the Dark Magician again to have someone to talk too. "Father said that he had no idea who the girl in white was. He never saw her to begin with. Maybe I just imagined her."  
  
The Dark Magician laughed. "I don't think you could have imagined her master. Did young Setto not see her as well?"  
  
"That is true, he did. But I do not know. I was so close to her this evening and I did not even realize it. Now, because of my foolishness, she is in more danger than ever: from Loki's minions to her own abilities." he buried his head into his hands.  
  
"The Divine Mother has remained safely concealed from all threats for ten years. I think we can relax a little Her guardian will let no harm come to her. However, we do need to find her, before someone else does. She is valuable member to our team."  
  
Yugioh nodded. "But how do we find her. I can no longer feel her presence."  
  
"I am not sure. I think all we can do is wait. One day, she will reveal her location to us again. It may be a day or several years from know. But we must be ready. The Divine Mother is key to the survival of civilization. Just as you are master."  
  
"Can we really afford to wait a year?"  
  
The Dark Magician didn't answer. Yugioh sighed and turned back to stare out the window. His thoughts turned to the white gowned - goddess. Ra, how he missed her. He could not imagine waiting a year to see her again. It would be too painful. And if she was not the Divine Mother, Yugioh had no idea what he was going to do then. The Divine Mother was too be his soul mate, but his heart already belonged to another, his maiden.   
  
"Your thinking of her again, aren't you?"  
  
"I can not get her off my mind, not even for the briefest of seconds."  
  
The Dark Magician chuckled. "You have it bad."  
  
Yugioh sighed. "Don't I know it."   
  
He leaned against the cool window. Across town, Ruia was doing the same. As if bounded by an unseen force, both thought.   
  
'I wonder if I will ever see my soul mate again.'  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Q and A real fast:  
  
YumeTakato: I still have the years 13 and 14 to cover before Yami and Raya reach the age of 15. Now that right there is about 2-4 chapters in itself. So roughly speaking, I would guess 4 more chapters till age 15.   
  
Lori Kimaya - I wish I knew all about the gods and goddess that would so help with my minor, which if anyone cares it actually history. For the prequel, I spent roughly about a week and a half researching the gods and goddess names (which are all accurate), important cities, customs, and other facts that may or not be relevant to the story. Now something are fiction, like Ruia being kicked out of her home for being pregnant. Granted that was customary for some cultures, but Egyptian I am not 100% sure. I could never find out. The sequel is going to take a lot longer to research which is why I said that story won't even be posted till Christmas. I have a lot of areas that I am unfamiliar with that needs to be searched. 


	5. Age Thirteen: Forbidden Love, pt one

Disclaimer: How many times do I have to say this? I do not own Yugioh, just Ruia. Also the song "When I saw you" belongs to Mariah Carey.  
  
Seto: You're late.  
  
Anya: I know, I know and I am deeply sorry. Exams were rougher than I thought and I crashed for like two days after them. Then I hit a bad case of writers block, but that is all in the past. I hope you guys enjoy this chapter and I promise the next one will be better.   
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Ruia laid on a rock, sun basking in the early morning rays. Below her, Anzu was twisting and twirling to the new lyrics and beat Ruia had developed earlier that week. Rolling over, she leaned over the side of the rock. "So what do you think?"  
  
"The beat is fabulous Ruia. The lyrics are wonderful too." Thirteen-year-old Anzu replied. She turned her head up to her best friend, eyes sparkling. "You were thinking of him again when you composed the lyrics, weren't you?"  
  
Ruia didn't respond, rather gaze across the Nile, allowing the wind to toss about her long golden brown hair. Closing her eyes, she transported herself back to the day she had met him. Oh how she missed that boy.  
  
"Ruia, this is not healthy. You met this boy three years ago and haven't seen him since. You don't even know what he looks like or his name for that matter. How can you be like this?" Anzu asked, genuinely concerned for her friends well being.  
  
Ruia hopped down from atop the rocks. "I just can't forget him. You don't understand Anzu. That night changed my live forever. He became a part of my soul. You just cannot get over something that special, that memorable. It just doesn't work like that. I know I should move on with my life, find someone knew to make memories with, but..." she sighed and trailed off.  
  
Anzu handed back the papyrus that held Ruia's sweet lyrics. "You have to try Ruia. For all you know, he might be engaged now."   
  
Ruia's eyes flashed with sudden hurt and betrayal. "No, he wouldn't do that to me. He just wouldn't."  
  
"Ruia, you need to snap out of this fantasy. I know you cared for this boy, but three years have past. Three years. Move on, please I am worried about you."  
  
Massaging her temples, Ruia finally responded. "Anzu, I just can't forget my soul mate like that." She removed her sketchpad from her bag and open to a blank page. Closing her eyes, she sketched the only thing she really had to remember her mysterious man from, his eyes. Moving her quill quickly across the paper, the hard, but passionate eyes stared back at her. 'Anzu is right, I do need to move on.' Sighing, she turned over a new page and started drawing her friend dancing. Ruia knew her father would not return home for quite some time so she would have plenty of time to draw. Anzu and she had found this secret place of theirs nearly two years ago and had met there every morning that they could. It was such a peaceful and serene location on the Nile, nestled between to rocks on the embankment, shaded by the trees, but still received plenty of warm sunlight.  
  
Anzu clasped her friend's shoulder. "What is wrong? I can tell something is bother you."  
  
"I never could hide anything from you, could I?"  
  
Anzu laughed. "Not since we were about three. What's wrong? Did you and your father argue again?"  
  
Ruia's face turned sour. "When don't we anymore? Ra Anzu, I thought when I turned ten, things at home would, I don't know, be more peaceful. That since I had turned an adult, father would allow me to make my decisions and lead my own life. But that couldn't be farther from the truth."  
  
"What happened?"  
  
"Father wants me to disregard my magic. Forget that I even have it."   
  
"How can you though? It has been apart of you since birth, hasn't it?"  
  
Ruia nodded. So much had changed in three years. The attack at the palace truly had changed Ruia's life and not for the better. She still could remember the smell of death. It was something she would carry with her forever. And then, there was her uncle. 'Man was he holding out.'  
  
Taking the advice of her guardian, Ruia had confronted her uncle the very next day about the light she posed. Ay, to put in mildly, was shocked to learn his niece had learned about her gift. But the surprises had not ended there. Oh no, there were so many uncovered the afternoon.  
  
Ay had explained to her that on the night of her birth, her mother had found a card nestle safely in her blanket. The card had been the Mystical Elf, the same picture of the ghost that had spoken to Ruia in her room. Ay told Ruia all that he knew, from her powers, to her association with Sekhmet, to the belief that she was truly the Divine Mother. Ruia found that one the most difficult to believe. She was chosen out of all the children in Egypt to be the child of a goddess. It was simple unimaginable. But the Mystical Elf had confirmed what her uncle had told her later. And since that day, Ay and the Mystical Elf had been secretly training and developing Ruia's skills in magic. The process was slow and tedious, but she was improving little by little everyday. Anzu knew that Ruia had magical powers, but she did not know that Ruia had divinity. She had promised Ay and her guardian that she would not reveal her truest identity until the time was right. It was safer for her and Divine Father, whoever he was. Subconsciously, she checked her pocket to make sure her card was still safely tucked inside for quick excess. So far, she had never needed to use the Mystical Elf for anything but training, but Ruia knew that one day the time could come for protection and aid as well. So for three years, she had been living a double life as the Ruia Motou and the Divine Mother.   
  
"I don't know what do anymore Anzu. I love my father, the gods and goddesses know that, but I can't handle his oppressing behavior anymore. It is literally suffocating me." She threw a rock into the water. 'Never could skip stones right.'  
  
"Have you talked to your father about this?" Anzu hated seeing her friend so upset, but it was a persistent trait, one Ruia never seemed able to shake.  
  
"You must be joking. Any time I try to bring up the subject, father changes it or we end up in another argument. Lately, it has been the latter. I am so sick of it Anzu. I thought maybe father and I could get passed all of our disagreements, but now I am not sure if we can. It has not happened yet at least and I have been waiting for over eight years. I am beginning to think it never will." Ruia made a quick sketch of Anzu's dance movements.   
  
"I don't know what to say Ruia. I mean I know you love your father and he loves you. There is no one to blame for your situation at home. You both have faults."  
  
"I know. Sometimes I just wish I could pack up and leave. It would be easier on father and me. Besides, then I could travel and see what the world has to offer. See exotic places, experience new cultures, and find myself."  
  
Anzu stopped twirling. "What?" She had never heard Ruia talk like this before. 'The fight this morning must have been intense. Never have I seen Ruia to the point of fleeing from her problems. It just isn't in her nature to run. She stands and faces any problems that the fates throw her way. So why the sudden change?'  
  
"I don't belong here Anzu. We both know that. I have never fit into our civilization. I have always been the unique one of the group. The one who went against the stream. I am tired of fighting the system. So tired. There is nothing here for me except our friendship. And I value that more than anything, but..." Ruia shrugged.  
  
"You want more than that. I understand. It doesn't hurt me to hear that at all. I feel the same way. I want more with my life that to staying in Memphis."  
  
"Then let's leave together!"  
  
"Ruia think. Where would we go? Neither of us could make it very far, not on the amount of money we have."  
  
Ruia's shoulder's slumped. "Yeah, I guess you are right. Still though, it is nice to dream."  
  
"Ai that it is." Noting her friend's somber expression, Anzu poked Ruia. "Come on, why don't we get a great dance number to go along with this song. We can use it in on our performances with your uncle one day."  
  
"Sure, why not." Ruia replied, snapping her sketchbook close. "Anything to take my mind of my fight with father."  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"You're father is going to kill you if he learns that we've snuck out of the palace again." Setto hissed to his now black hair friend.  
  
"Father will not find out. Besides, you said it yourself. We need to get out more." Yugioh responded. He loved this feeling of freedom. No Qaa yelling at him to act more like a Prince and less like a teenager. No Sepi chasing him around to go to magic practice. He loved every moment he was out of the palace. Being out alone wasn't the safest place in the world for the heir of all Egypt to be in, but disguised with his hair black, it gave him total freedom. No one had recognized him yet. And he was planning on keeping it that way too.  
  
"I said you needed to move on with your life, not create a separate identity."   
  
"Setto, you are only fifteen, can we please relax and enjoy ourselves a bit? I knew becoming an adult was going to mean less fun times, but even you have to admit, we are burnt. So can we please just enjoy the Nile and not have to worry about anything else. And I am over her."  
  
Setto sighed. He knew Yugioh was right, that both men needed a day to themselves, but alone with no guards was just too risky. "Yugioh, I have known you forever. We both know you cannot lie to me worth anything. I know this girl was special to you, but the odds of you finding her again are slim at best. You need to move on. We've checked with all the invited guest from the other countries, no one had a daughter there that fit her description."  
  
"I know, but Setto you saw her. She was there. I didn't imagine her." Yugioh's shoulder's slumped. 'But no one could be that perfect, I must have made her up. And yet that kiss, though it was brief, I know she was real. Ra, I miss her. Setto is right though, three years have gone by and I have never found her. Maybe I should just move on, no matter how much it pains me.'  
  
Setto didn't answer. Rather continued walking upstream with Yugioh. 'If we keep walking, we are going to reach Alexandria.' He stopped when he noticed that Yugioh was no longer beside him. Turning around, he saw that the prince had stopped several feet behind him. "What...."  
  
"Shh. Listen."   
  
Then he heard what Yugioh was talking about. Laughter. Glancing around, he saw that only the two of them were around. "Where is that noise coming from?"  
  
"That way." Yugioh pointed to a small bush. Pushing it aside, he saw that there was a small path of rocks that overlooked a part of the Nile. He quickly climbed down, Setto in tow. Hoping down onto the first stone, he noticed how secluded this area really was. 'So peaceful, but where was that laughter coming from?'  
  
Setto nudged Yugioh's arm. "Check it out."   
  
Yugioh turned to look up the embankment. Two girls were standing not too far over, pointing at a piece of papyrus and then dancing. But both were laughing so hard, the dance look rather foolish, but a lot of fun nonetheless. "Let's go over."  
  
"What? Yugioh, wait." Setto hurried down after his friend. 'The boy sees two girls and loses all common sense. Oh well.'  
  
Setto jogged to keep up with Yugioh. The two girls were now sitting under one of the massive trees that shaded the area. They quickly stopped conversing when he and Yugioh paused in front of them. He didn't miss the brownish - red head give them a quick look over.  
  
"Good morning ladies." Yugioh said, eyes never wavering from the girl with the purple eyes. 'Her eyes remind me of the girl from the party, both have the same intensity and purity that I fell in love with.'  
  
Anzu responded before Ruia could throw in some snide remark. "Good morning to you as well. What brings you down here? I was under the impression that not many knew of this hidden oasis."  
  
Setto shrugged. "We heard laughter and followed the sound. By the way, I am Set."   
  
Yugioh knew why Setto was giving the false name to the girls, safety precautions. Though he doubted that girls were any immediate danger, he knew he should give his childhood nickname too. "And I am Yugi."  
  
Ruia stared at the two, eyeing them carefully. Her heart told her that they were lying to them, but yet she could also tell they meant her and Anzu no harm. 'I wish I was better trained, then I could figure out their real names.' She turned back to the black hair one and gasped slightly. 'Oh my Ra. How did I not see it before. He looks exactly like the boy from the dance, same eyes and hair color. Could it really be him? But wait, it can't. The boy from the dance had dyed his hair black to conceal his blond locks. This boy's is naturally black.' She felt her heart sink a little. "My name is Ana; pleasure to meet both of you."  
  
"Kallisto." Anzu replied, picking up on Ruia's plan. She knew her friend must have had a reason for giving her middle name. Anzu had learned years before to trust in Ruia's abilities, which is why she gave out her middle name and not her first as well.  
  
"The Greek name meaning most beautiful, is it not?" Setto asked, staring at the girl. 'Maybe Yugioh was right. Escaping from the palace today was a good idea.'  
  
Anzu blushed. "Ai, it is. It was my grandmother's name. She came over here to Egypt from Greece when my mother was just a small child. When I was born, my mother gave me her name."  
  
"It suits you." He replied, winking, which caused Anzu to turn a deeper shade of crimson.  
  
Yugioh and Ruia met each other's eyes and just shook their head at Setto's antics. Obviously subtly was not in Setto's vocabulary, but Anzu did not seem to mind in the least bit. Instead rather, she seemed to enjoy the flirting.  
  
"So what were you two doing down here anyway?" Yugioh asked, taking a seat next to Ana. 'I know she cannot be the same girl from the dance; she is not royalty. But yet, I cannot help but be taken slightly by the resemblance. Both have the same eyes that simply take my breath away.'  
  
"Escaping from my father." Ruia spat out, not really thinking of what she was saying or what company she was in. She was far too mad to be concerned that strangers were in her presence. At that moment, she was just answering a question with the first answer that came to mind, even if it was not the best one.   
  
"Your father?" Yugioh asked, voice rising slightly. 'If her father hurt this girl in any way, he shall fear the day he ever raised his voice at her. I will see to that personally, as the heir to all Egypt. ' He could not explain why he felt so protective of Ana, but somewhere deep inside of him, a small part of his subconscious warned him that she would be needed to be guarded at all costs.  
  
"It's not what you think Yugi. My father and I just see the world differently, that is all. He is a realist and I am nothing more that a foolish dreamer." Ruia responded lightly. "My father does care for me and I for him."  
  
"No dreams are foolish Ana." Setto scowled gently. He hated to see anyone give up on what they believe in. He had to set a good example, for his baby brother. "What are you a dreamer of?" He moved to sit closer to Anzu.  
  
"A dreamer of life." Ruia stopped and laughed. "Okay, maybe not that serious, but I don't know really how to explain it to you. It is just something I feel deep inside of me. I want something different with my life. My future has been practically predetermined as a housewife because of my social status. Yes that is a fine job for some, but I want do something more with my own life. I want to explore new lands, visit other cultures, live a little before I settle down."  
  
Yugioh fought against the de java he was feeling. Something in Ana's tone triggered a long forgotten memory from his childhood. 'Why does her talk about her father remind me of something? I wish I could just remember.' "You have a very unique way of thinking Ana. Not too many people would share in your views, let alone agree with them, but I must admit, you have me intrigued. Are both of you and Kallisto out to change the world?"  
  
Anzu blushed. "I am not nearly as vocal in my beliefs as Ana, but I do want to do something different with my life as well. I want to be a dancer. Not a gypsy, but a dancer people can admire and respect."  
  
"Is this why your father and you do not see eye to eye Ana? Because of yours and Kallisto's beliefs?" Setto asked, leaning word.   
  
Ruia leaned back against the tree allowing a cool breeze to cross her face. "Basically. We see the world as two separate things. Do not mistake my displeasure for my father's view as hatred. He is a good and loving man, just strict in raising me. He too had many things to prove. My father just wanted to show Memphis and even the world I guess, that he could handle raising me alone."  
  
Yugioh blinked in shock. "Alone? Where is your mother?"  
  
"My mother passed away when I was only two. It has been my father and me since then."  
  
"I am sorry. I too lost my mother at a young age. It is something no child should ever have to undertake. The pain is overwhelming at times. You find yourself always wondering what if mother had survived or I wish mom was here now so I could ask her about this thing called life."  
  
Ruia's eyes widen. "You really do understand. That is exactly how I feel when I think of my mother. After my father and I end one of heated debates, I always find myself looking up into the sky inwardly yelling for my mother to give me patience with my dad. I never seem to remember that during our fights he is hurting too. He lost my mother as well."  
  
Yugioh nodded, but said nothing else in fear of revealing his true identity. He could not believe how easy it was to talk with Ana. She was so laid back, so honest, so sincere with every word that came from her mouth, but that could be dangerous too. He had already caught himself twice about ready to tell her he was the heir to the Egyptian throne. Setto would have killed him if he had done that. 'As well as Qaa and father.'  
  
Setto smirked. "Let me take a guess at something. If you are anything like my dear friend over here, you have been raised in a super strict home, which naturally means you rebel, don't you Ana?"  
  
Ruia laughed. "You got me Set. On certain issues I do, but others well I just let them go. I hate fighting with my father, so it is not worth it to me to provoke him. But on the issues I do rebel against," she waved her hand around the area they were sitting in, Kallisto and I just come here to do."  
  
"Is that what you were doing before I and Yugi arrived? If you were, we are both sorry for disrupting you."  
  
"No, neither Ana or I mind the disruption, honestly. Company is nice." Anzu replied, smiling at Set the entire time. "We were just working out a new performance piece to Ana's lyrics and melody."  
  
"Kallisto!" Ruia spoke sharply. She was terrified of giving a public performance anymore, especially to individuals she hardly knew, despite what her feelings said. 'I know if I gave another public showing of my talents, word would get back to father and the rumors that I am a siren would spring up again.'  
  
"You're a singer?" Yugioh stared at the tiny girl. She didn't look much like a singer, goddess maybe, singer no. 'Stop this. My heart already belongs to my maiden and no one else. And while Ana does look like her, it simply cannot be. She is a commoner. There is no way she could have been at the palace the night of the attack.'  
  
"Since I was practically able to talk. I have always enjoyed singing, but I seldom perform anymore."  
  
Setto's face clouded over. "Why would you give up something you love just like that?"  
  
"She didn't want too, but the villagers in our town got very jealous of Ana's given talents and started rumors that she was a siren. Her father, wanting to save the family name, forbad her to ever sing in public again."  
  
Ruia raised an eyebrow at Anzu but said nothing. Her friend sure had a big mouth on her at times.   
  
Yugioh turned to Ruia and grabbed her hand. "Would you give Set and I a small demonstration? I swear that we shall not call you or Anzu a siren or allow word to get back to either of your families."  
  
Ruia turned to Anzu who simply shrugged. As much as she wanted to jump up and sing, she was a little hesitant, but who could really blame her. "You promise? I mean it too. If my father found out and the rumors started again..." she trailed off.  
  
"You have both our words. I make the promise to Ra himself."  
  
Ruia stood, dusting off her purple tunic. She extended a hand and pulled Anzu to her feet. "New song and dance?"  
  
"Can you handle it?" So far, Ruia had yet to be able to sing the song the entire way through without breaking down in tears.  
  
"Only one way to find out." Ruia took a deep breath and waited for Anzu to take her position. Waiting for the nearly invisible signal from Anzu, Ruia started singing softly voicing getting a little louder with each passing note as Anzu twirled to her words.  
  
Soft heavenly eyes gazed into me  
Transcending space and time  
And I was rendered still.  
There were no words for me to find at all  
As I stood there beside myself  
I could see you and no one else  
  
When I saw you  
When I saw you  
I could not breathe, I fell so deep  
When I saw you  
When I saw you  
I'd never be, I'd never be the same  
  
Only once in a lifetime love rushes in  
Changing you with the tide  
And dawn's ribbon of light  
Bursts through the dark  
Awakening you inside  
And I thought it was all untrue  
Until there all at once I knew  
  
When I saw you  
When I saw you  
I could not breathe, I fell so deep  
When I saw you  
When I saw you  
I'd never be, I'd never be the same  
  
With no beginning and  
Without an end  
You are the one for me  
And it's evident  
And your eyes told me so  
Your eyes let me know...  
  
When I saw you  
When I saw you  
I could not breathe, I fell so deep  
When I saw you  
When I saw you  
I'll never be, I'll never be the same...  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Setto dimly heard Ana's words, though he could hear the emotion through Kallisto's dancing. Gracefully was the only word that echoed through his thoughts. Her movements to Ana's voice were sharp and memorizing. 'I think I have died and gone to the afterlife.'  
  
Kallisto's eyes remained closed as she twisted and twirled, but Setto could swear she was dancing just for him, watching him all the while. 'This isn't good. I can't be falling for this girl just after a simple dance can I?' A sharp jolt cascaded down Setto's back. Sneaking a quick glance at his friend, he finally understood. 'So this is how Yugioh felt when he danced with that unknown girl. A deep indescribable feeling of passion washed over his face. 'I really hope I am not blushing. Yugioh would never let me live this down. After criticizing him for falling in love after just one meeting, here I am doing to very same thing. So this is what it felt like? Yeah, I think I could get use to this just fine.' Setto hid a small smile behind his sleeve. Kallisto was perfect in his eyes: beautiful, intelligent, talented, and spirited, not as bad as Ana, but still. She was just...  
  
"Is it just me or did we both hit our heads and are just imagining this moment?" Yugioh leaned over and whispered, eyes never wavering from Ana. He did not wait for his friend to respond, rather asked another question. "Setto, does Ana seem familiar to you some how. I can not get over the notion that I met her before." Yugioh chuckled. 'What am I saying? She is a commoner, not royalty. I never could have met her before. Still though'  
  
"If we hit our heads, I do not wish to wake up." Setto responded. He bit his lip. "I do not recognize her, but something about her words, it sounds familiar."   
  
Yugioh nodded, not totally hearing what Setto was saying. He was captured by Ana's soft angelic voice. He could understand why people called her a siren in her youth. It was simply ineradicable. He was enticed. Every high note left him breathless. 'I don't understand how such a powerful voice can come from such a tiny person.' Ana stood no taller than he, and Yugioh was reasonable short.   
  
He blinked when the song was over. "Ana, Kallisto that was amazing. I never have seen anything like it. No wonder people are jealous of your talents."  
  
Both girls blushed fiercely. "Thank you." Kallisto managed to choke out, staring at Setto the entire time.  
  
"Did you compose that song yourself?" Setto asked. "Or did you the song come from another village?"  
  
Anzu laughed. "As much as I would love to take credit for writing that lovely piece, I can not. Ana is the sole writer."  
  
Yugioh raised an eyebrow. "You sing, dance, sketch, and obviously have the intelligence to support yourself. So I ask you maiden Ana, what don't you do?"  
  
Ana turned and lowered her head down into her shoulder. 'My heart belongs to one boy and one boy only. So why is Yugi making me feel the way I do? I have never been so nervous around anyone. Normally anyone does not faze me, but he is different. It is not as if he puts me on guard, not it is the exact opposite. I feel as if I can be the true me around him...and it scares me.' "I can't cook much. I never really learned. Father does all of it when he returns home "  
  
Yugioh blinked and then burst out laughing. At seeing the hurt expression cross Ana's face he stopped. "I'm sorry Ana, I wasn't laughing at you, honestly. I was just thinking if all you can not do is cook, than some man is going to be extremely lucky when he marries you." 'My Ra did I just say that?'  
  
"Thank you Yugi."  
  
Setto turned to Anzu and both stifled a laugh. And their friends dared call them flirts. Setto smiled at seeing his friend so happy again. 'Yugioh just better not get to infatuated, nothing more than friendship can become between him and Ana. If even a friendship.' he thought sadly. But that was the price of royalty. 'I am one of the lucky ones. I can still have a relationship with Kallisto because I am not true royalty.' He blinked at what he just thought. "Kallisto and I? What am I thinking? Of course she is gorgeous in every way, but really. A girl like her marrying someone like me? Besides I do not even know if she likes me, but all our flirting. Ra, this is difficult. Can I really torment Yugioh like this though? I can tell he knows how I feel about Kallisto. It will drive him crazy if I can have a relationship and he cannot have one with Ana.'  
  
Anzu leaned closer to Setto. "They make a cute couple don't they?"  
  
Her warm breathe on his face made him shiver slightly. But her words scared Setto more. If she could see Yugioh's longing, then he could only imagine the dread his friend was feeling. 'While I will admit they do look cute together, the crowned prince does not marry commoners, even ones as sweet as Ana.' He reached up and moved a piece of Kallisto's hair out of her eyes. He could sense the excitement in her. "They do, I just wish..."  
  
"You wish what?"  
  
"It's nothing. Don't worry about it Kallisto." Setto let out a small sigh as she let the subject drop. 'Ra that was too close; I almost revealed our true identities.' He turned his attention back to the Prince and Ana. As much as he wanted to stare into Kallisto's piercing blue eyes, he had too make sure Yugioh didn't do anything stupid.  
  
"So what is that song about? The way you sung it, it sounded as if it was personal." Yugioh stated. The song had struck a nerve with him. The song sounded so much like the night he had with the mysterious maiden.   
  
"You'll find it silly." Ruia responded.   
  
"I find nothing you do silly."  
  
'A charmer I see.' Her heart beat faster and he leaned closer. 'I cannot deny the feelings I have for this boy. But how can I turn my back on my soul mate this easily? I still can see the resemblance between the two men. I just wish it wasn't anything more than a resemblance. If they were truly one in the same, then...' she sighed.   
  
"If the topic is difficult to answer, you do not have too. I would never deliberately try to place you in an uncomfortable situation."   
  
Ruia shook her head. "No! It is nothing like that at all. I was just trying to figure out how to describe it too you. The song is about a personal experience I underwent when I was nine. I met this boy at a dance. We couldn't see one another because it was a masked ball, but I could see his eyes. And in those moments I was with him, nothing else existed. I never saw the boy again after that night, but I never forgot him. That Yugi is what the song is about." Ruia turned at stared up into the mid-afternoon sky. "Oh no, Kallisto. Father is going to be home for lunch any minute now. I have to get back."  
  
Yugioh sat frozen in his spot. 'My Ra, she is the one from the dance. She is my maiden, my soul mate. I don't care what the prophecies say.' He looked up to see Ana grab her bag and take off running for the village. "WAIT!" He stood and jogged over to her.  
  
"I am sorry. But if I am not home when my father gets there, I will be in so much trouble. I have to go." She turned but stopped when Yugi grabbed her wrist.   
  
"I understand, I just...I have to see you again and I will not take no for a answer."  
  
Ruia blushed deeply. She stared down at his hand that was clamped around her wrist. Ruia sighed happily. Maybe he was the key to getting over the past. "Kallisto and I met here every morning when the sun is high in the sky. We don't met everyday, but I know for a fact that at least I will be here tomorrow. If you can, I...I would love for you to be here."  
  
Inwardly, Yugioh grimaced. How would he ever be able to escape from the palace a second day in a row? He would need help, but he would get back to his maiden. They had to talk of that night. "I will not make a promise to you that I will be here, because if I did and I could not come, I would feel terrible." He caressed her check gently. "But you have my word on this, I will do everything in my power to get back to you. I promise you that Ana."  
  
Ruia nodded, voice falling her. Kallisto came up. "Come on, we are really going to have to run if we are going to beat your father home."  
  
"You better get going maiden." Yugioh said, hoping Ana would remember.   
  
Ruia's eyes widen slightly. "You're right Kallisto. Let's go. Till tomorrow." She turned and ran up the path with Anzu.  
  
Yugioh stood in his spot watching Ana run off. 'At least this time I will not have to wait three years to see her again.'  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"You do think she is the same girl master?"  
  
Yugioh sighed and sat his on the edge of his bed. "I do not know for sure, Dark Magician. I mean her story about the song she wrote was too accurate, the feelings that I felt, and her eyes, they were the same too!" His voice was rising in happiness. "Oh yeah, do not call me master either. Just Yugioh."  
  
"Of course. Does she know who you are as well?" Dark Magician asked, leaning against the wall staring at his young protégé. It never amazed him at the adventures his student managed to get himself into. It reminded him of his own childhood.   
  
"If she recognized me in any way, she did not show it. And before you ask, no she does not know I am the Prince of Egypt or the Divine Father."  
  
Dark Magician let out a sigh of relief. "Good. However, we know have an even bigger problem on all of our hands. If she is the girl from the dance, then the possibility of Ana being the Divine Mother is great. Which means she needs to be guarded and watched at all times. She is still untrained."  
  
Yugioh let out a gruff and fell back onto his bed, tossing a pillow into the air.  
  
"Yugioh?" The Dark Magician asked, peering over top his charge.  
  
"I am confused Dark. I have feelings for Ana; I will not deny this. But at the same time, how can she be the Divine Mother? Ana is not royalty; she is a commoner. While I still do not understand how she was invited to the party, the fact remains; she was there. Now, does this make her the Divine Mother? I hope not because if she is a marriage between us can never happen. Royal and Commoners do not marry one another. Besides, would divinity be given to a non-royal?"  
  
"I am not sure. I mean there is no rule to which the powers can be given too. Now I agree, I would think the divinity would have been given to people who are in influential positions, like royalty I guess. But that doesn't mean Ana has not inherited divinity."  
  
Yugioh rolled over to his stomach. "I am supposed to meet with her tomorrow."  
  
The Dark Magician raised an eyebrow. "Prince, I do not think that would be a wise decision. You barely returned in time to before your father checked in on you this time. You should not push your luck on the subject."  
  
"I have to go, for the good of the country. If Ana is indeed the Divine Mother, I have to find out. You have told me again and again that she is the key to our civilization as am I. I can not miss this chance to learn that she is indeed the one we have been searching for three years."  
  
"You are correct. This is the best lead we have gotten in years. But Yugioh, you have to be careful on how you question her. Until you know for a fact that she is the one we seek, she cannot learn of your true identity, both of your divinity and birthright."  
  
"I know." Yugioh smiled mischievously. "So, how are you going to help me sneak out of here tomorrow morning?"  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Ruia ran around her room in a panic. Clothes were being thrown everywhere, landing on everything and everyone.   
  
"Mistress, what is so important to you that you destroying your own room?" The Mystical Elf asked, taking a dress off her head.   
  
Ruia moved out of her clothes area and grinned. "I am seeing him again." She sighed and went back to humming and sorting through clothes. She had summoned her guardian to have someone to talk too. Anzu had already gone ahead to their meeting place earlier this morning.   
  
"Him?" Mystical Elf asked, sitting gracefully at Ruia's window. "Wait, you mean the boy from the dance? You found him again? Oh Ruia that is wonderful." She was so thrilled for her charge. 'Maybe now she can finally learn this boy's name.'  
  
Ruia poked her head back out. "I think I found him, I am not totally sure. Mystical, did you ever, I mean, is it possible to love two people at the same time?"  
  
Mystical Elf tapped a slender finger to her chin. "I guess it depends on what type of love you are talking about. If you mean a childhood crush, then I do not see why you could not fall in love with more than one boy. However, if you are talking about a true and unconditional love, one that not even the fates can break, then no. Sure you can love another person, but you will always love your soul mate more. Why do you ask?"  
  
Ruia's iris eyes twinkled. "Well I am just confused about a lot of things right now. This boy, if he is the same one from the dance, I know I have deep unconditional feelings for him. But at the same time, I am supposedly destined for the Divine Father. How I can just ignore these feelings for this boy just like that? I did not think love worked like that."  
  
"I see your dilemma." Mystical Elf rose and embraced her protégé. "Ruia, there is no rule that the divinity children have to met and fall in love, though it is highly aimed for. So if these feelings you have for this nameless boy are genuine as you think, follow them. However, if your heart and powers say differently, then I would tend to believes those first. Neither will steer you wrong in the matter of the heart."  
  
Ruia turned and grinned up at her guardian. "How did I ever get alone without you all those years?"  
  
Mystical laughed. "I ask myself the same question every day. Now you better hurry, you are going to be late. If you need me, just call, alright?"  
  
Ruia nodded and watched as the Mystical Elf reverted back into her card state. She moved and sat back into her chair once again. Her reflection stared back at her. She brushed a piece of her hair off her purple outfit. 'Mystical said to trust in my heart and my powers. But what happens when the heart tells you one thing and my powers directs me in another?'  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Anzu glanced up the path and laughed. "Guess who finally showed."  
  
Setto and Yugioh followed her gaze. Ana, stood at the top of the path, waving her arms excitedly. Everyone watched as she started for the dirt trail down, and then suddenly back up.  
  
"She isn't." Setto trailed off.  
  
Anzu groaned. "Ana! Don't be so crazy...for once!"  
  
If Ruia heard any of their feeble pleas, she did not acknowledge. Rather just ran full speed and leaped off the face of the front of the cliff. The fall was not very far, but Yugioh still caught his breathe in his throat. He let out a gasp as she landed and bounced over as if nothing was wrong.  
  
"Sorry I was late."  
  
Anzu stood and grasped her friend around the shoulders and shook. "Never do that to me again."  
  
"You have no sense of adventure Kallisto." Ruia responded, taking a seat next to Yugioh. "You have to live for the moment and not let life pass you by." She giggled.  
  
"Well someone is in a good mood this morning." Setto said grabbing a piece of the bread Anzu had brought with her.   
  
Ruia laid back against the warm white sand, happy to be around people that she could truly be herself around. 'Now if I can just get a few minutes alone with Yugi, maybe I can finally figure out what I am feeling for him.'  
  
As if Anzu had been reading her thoughts, she nudged Set in the side. "Now that Ana has arrived, why don't we take that walk we were planning?" She rose to her feet and grinned hopefully at Set.   
  
Setto learned at a young age how to resist a smile, but saying no to large blue eyes, no not even close. He could not say to no to her. If she asked for the world, the gods knew Setto would try to get it for her. 'And to think I used to yell at Yugioh for acting the very same way I am now. I just hope he doesn't do anything stupid while we are gone.' "Can we trust you two not to get into any mischief while we are gone?"  
  
"I make no promise, especially on ones that I know that I can not keep." Ruia replied, grinning. "I promise that if we do anything, we will not get caught. How is that for you?"  
  
Anzu shook her head. "That is probably the best we are going to get out of her. Just remember the rule Ana, no playing with fire."  
  
"Oh just because I almost burnt down my house the last time doesn't give you the privilege to throw it in my face every time." Ruia crossed her arms over her chest and tried to look upset. It wasn't working. A small grin inched her way onto her face, growing slowly.   
  
Yugioh blinked. "Let me guess, you were trying to cook right?"  
  
That did it. Ruia rolled over laughing. "It all comes back to my cooking right? If you two must know, yes it was a result of superior cooking skills. I did not know that if you left food on the fire for so long that it could actual catch on fire. Stop laughing. Stop it. Oh like you or Set's skills are any better."  
  
"Well if you really want to know..."  
  
Anzu smacked Setto on the back of the head. "Do not even start with her. You will lose, even if you are correct on the subject. She will find a way to confuse you till you admit she is right."  
  
"If I did not know for a fact that Yugi did not have a twin, I would swear that you two were in fact separated at birth."  
  
"It is just a gift we rebellious ones posse." Yugioh replied, wrapping his arm around Ruia. The two of the sat together in the sand with looks on both of their faces.  
  
Anzu turned to Setto. "We should probably get going before Ana starts making revenge plans on us."  
  
"Too late. I already have something in stored for both of you. Just do not go to sleep tonight, okay?"   
  
"Un huh." Anzu started backing up slowly.   
  
Setto smiled. "Let's go." He grabbed Kallisto's hand and led her up the path and quickly disappeared from view.   
  
"I would say I would miss them but then I would be lying." Yugioh said, trying to break the sudden tension that he felt as soon as Setto and Kallisto were gone. 'How am I ever going to bring up the past with her, without raising the question of my true identity to her."  
  
Ruia smiled, and rolled over onto her stomach. She found herself wishing that Anzu was still around despite hoping earlier for some alone time. 'It is so much easier to talk to Yugi when the others are around. However, if I am ever to learn the truth, now is the best time to ask.'  
  
"I have to ask you something." The two said simultaneously. Ruia shook her head and waved her hand. "You first. What I have to say can wait."  
  
"You sure?"  
  
"Of course." 'Besides it gives me more time to think what I am going to say and get my heart out of my throat.' She thought trying to calm her racing pulse.  
  
"Ana, this is going to sound insane but this have been bothering me for some time. I cannot ignore it any longer. I have to know the truth."  
  
"Truth about what Yugi?"  
  
'Who you really are.' He shook his head. He could not come right out and say it. "When I was ten, I was invited to the palace for the Prince's coming to age party. While I was there, I met this girl dressed..."  
  
"In a white and golden gown with a white feather mask."  
  
Yugioh inhaled sharply. "It was you. You were the one I fell...never mind." He reached out and gently caressed her check, scared that she would suddenly disappear again.   
  
Ruia shuddered under his touch. "I missed you Yugi. I never forgot that night, not once in three years."  
  
"I missed you too Ana." Yugioh smirked. "Well it only took three years, but I finally learned your name maiden."  
  
Lowering her head, Ruia softly replied yes. 'For the sake of my safety and that of my guardian's, I can reveal my true name. Too much can go wrong there.' "The feeling is mutual Yugi. What happened that night? Who was that Loki character? What did he want? More importantly, how were you there? You aren't royalty are you?"  
  
Yugioh reeled back at the speed of Ana's questions. 'Ra, she is a quick one. She instantly knew that I had to be of some royalty in order to be at the party. But if that was true, how was she there?' He filed the question in the back of his mind. He would have to ask that once he answered hers. "Slow down. One question at a time please. Now I do not know much about Loki, other than what I was informed by my guardians. Loki was nothing more than a villager from Alexandria who believed that he could make a difference in the world. However, he took a radical approach. Loki came to the palace that night to assassinate the Pharaoh and the Prince. Obviously, he did not succeeded, but that was he goal. Now, the reason why I was there; my father holds a political office. That is why I was present. Now I must ask, you have mentioned you live in Memphis and are not royalty. So how were you there?"  
  
"My father works for the Pharaoh and have a good working relationship with him. When the Prince had his coming of age party, my father and I were on the guest list despite not having any real claim to royalty."  
  
'That why my maiden was present at the party, finally one mystery is solved. Her father is a friend of my father's? Interesting. That limits what her last name is too about a thousand. However, one major question still looms, is she the Divine Mother. How can I ask her about that?' "Now I have one question for you. Where did you disappear to that night?"  
  
Ruia's face clouded over. 'I should have seen this question coming. How can I answer this without giving away my deepest secret or give away my guardian's name and job.'  
  
"Ana?"  
  
"Oh, sorry. I was just lost in the moment. I was hiding between the pillars were you had left me. I had no intention of leaving. The screams of terror from the other room paralyzed me to the spot. I remember feeling so scared, for you, the guests, and my father. I had no idea where anyone had gone. I was terrified of being discovered by one of Loki's men. I heard footsteps running down the hall coming closer towards me. I didn't dare look out to see who was coming, rather just pushed myself closer to the wall. At first it did not register whom ad ran past me, but after a split second or two, I knew that the man was indeed my father. I tore out after him. He was so relieved to find me. He had been searching since the raid started. He was afraid that I...never mind. After we both finally figured out that it wasn't safe for us to be stand in the middle of the hallway, we slipped out of the palace and fled to the safety of our home. Once I was there, I realized that I had left you behind. I wanted nothing more to go back and find you, but I couldn't. I stand right were I was and I regretted that decision for the next three years. I never forgot our dance nor the..." Ruia abruptly stopped, stood up, and climb up a rock and sat down.  
  
Curious at what went wrong, Yugioh followed. He noticed as he climbed that the sky had turned dark and waters seemed a little more violent than they had an hour before. He offered no words to Ana as she weakly attempted to skip stones. Yugioh was deeply concerned. What had caused her to react like this? Something about that memory surfaced some forget event or feeling that Ana had long forgotten.   
  
'Please do not ask what is wrong. Please Yugi do not. I do not want to lie again to you.' She grabbed another stone and threw it against the water. Rather than skipping like she had hoped, it sunk straight to the bottom.   
  
"You cannot skip stones can you?" Yugioh asked. He searched for a smooth, flat stone. "Here take this one." He placed in to her fingers. "Draw back your hand slightly. Now when you come forward, flick your wrist, that will help it to skip. Understand?"  
  
"Not really." Ruia replied honestly. Minus running, she had no real athletic talents.   
  
"Then let me help." He moved behind her and grabbed her wrist. Pulling it back, he and Ana leaned back, preparing to throw the stone. It was then that he saw the crystalline tears in her eyes. 'Something is deeply troubling Ana, the tears confirm it. She is not the crying type, at least she appears to me she is not.'  
  
"What next?"  
  
Yugioh snapped out of his thought. "This." Together they moved forward and release the stone. It skipped once then sunk to the river floor.  
  
"Once is a drastic improvement."  
  
Yugioh laughed. "Give it a couple more tries on your own Ana and before long, you will be skipping stones better than I."  
  
"I doubt that highly, but I do enjoy a good challenge." After a few more attempts, Ruia started to get the hang of it. "I hate to say it Yugi, but you were right."  
  
"I am glad you are enjoying yourself. Do you feel better now?"  
  
"How did you know I was upset?"  
  
"I noticed the tears in your eyes earlier. You do not seem the type to be upset easily, so I knew something was wrong. I hope it was nothing I did. A maiden like you should not cry once in her life."  
  
Ruia knew she had to be turning a deep crimson. She could literally feel the warmth in her cheeks. "NO! I mean, no it was not you. It was Loki's fault."  
  
"Loki." Yugioh shook his head. He had forgot Ruia had known about him before hand, but how did she know anyway. "At the party, you knew who he before any one else. How?"  
  
Ruia skipped another stone and smiled when it went far. "Did you ever just get a feeling about something? I know that sounds insane, I really do not believe it, but right before he came, I was overwhelmed with a sense of someone. The feeling was like the presence of all evil and name Loki rang through my head over and over again."  
  
'Sounds like something the Divine Mother would sense.' Yugioh stared. How could he ask her without betraying his own identity? "It does not sound that strange. I guess that just means you have magical powers or something like that." He replied laughing. At the same time, he watched for the girl's reaction. If she acted shocked, he would know the truth.  
  
Ruia's face remained neutral, despite being scared out of her mind. 'He guessed my secret, by accident! I will have to bluff my way out of this one.' "Magical powers? You have a vivid imagination Yugi. I know some people claim to receive visions of the future like oracles, but to actually have powers, well that would be fun." Ruia laughed. "Oh the mischief I could make if I did."  
  
Yugioh crumpled. 'She is not the Divine Mother. Dear Ra, she is just a simple commoner. I am deeply in love with someone I can never have by my side. There is no way in our civilization.' He felt his heart break into a thousand pieces. Life just was not fair sometimes. 'Oh I bet Grandfather is having a grand old chuckle over this one.' "You and I both Ana. But you are correct, mystical powers just do not exist for people." 'Forgive me Ra, but I can not revel your blessing.'  
  
A loud rumble jolted both out of their thoughts. Lightening filled the sky. The next instance, Yugioh felt someone dive into his arms. Glancing down, he saw Ruia bury her head into his shoulder. "Ana?"  
  
"I hate thunderstorms. Why is there a storm here now? It is not time for the flooding."  
  
"I guess it is just a random storm. We should seek shelter at home or something."  
  
"Shouldn't we wait for Kallisto and Set?"  
  
"Both are smart, they will find someplace dry and warm. We need to do the same."  
  
Ruia nodded. "Of course. Just let me grab my bag over there." She climbed down the rock, Yugioh in tow. "Did you hear something?"  
  
Yugioh shook his head. "No, why?"  
  
"I swear I heard something."  
  
"ANA!"  
  
Ruia and Yugioh turned to see Kallisto standing on the path, waving her arms for the two of them to hurry up and get over there. The two nodded and started running over.  
  
A clap of thunder rumbled through the land, shaking everything.  
  
"That is close!" Ruia shouted over the down pouring rain. She was already soaked to the bone.  
  
"I know. Come on we have to hurry back to Memphis." Yugioh grabbed her hand and pulled her towards the main land. A glance upward, made him pull her back. Together, they fell to the side.  
  
Ruia spit out the sand of her mouth and watched in horror as a bolt of lightening stuck the rock. "ANZU!!"  
  
Anzu stepped backwards, away from the bolt, not realizing that she was stepping onto pure air. Losing her balance, she tumbled backward, falling into the ragging waters.   
  
"ANZU" Ruia had forgotten about the secret names.  
  
Yugioh stared eye wide at where Kallisto had fallen in. He made sure that Ana was okay before taking off for the water. He could see Kallisto, or Anzu as Ana had called her, being swept up stream.   
  
"YUGIOH STOP! AS THE CROWN PRINCE YOU CAN NOT GO IN!" Setto shouted from the broken rock.   
  
Yugioh stopped.   
  
"I"LL GO!"  
  
"SETTO!" He watched as Setto dove in and followed Anzu up stream. He lost sight of both of them mere seconds later. Sighing, Yugioh turned, trying to control his temper. There was nothing he could do for his two friends, not at the moment at least. Ana, however, he could do something for. He could be a source of comfort. He moved back to her and noticed the bewildered expression on her face. It was if she was in a state of shock. 'Of course she is, you idiot. Her friend was almost killed and is now in a fight against the Nile.' He sat down and gathered her into his arms. "They will be okay, you'll see."  
  
Ruia pushed out of the embrace and stared; then she spoke.  
  
It was not the statement Yugioh was expecting.  
  
"You are the Prince?"  
  
  
  
  
Q AND A:  
  
Lady Armandia: I accept your challenge of a chapter for a chapter. (Our phone bills is going to be expensive as anything when we both get stuck and need to have a bounce session)  
  
Krystal-chan: Thank you for the chocolate bar, my roommates can vouch that I needed it. Also, let me know when you post something up, I will be more than happy to read it.   
  
Melody Hoshi Sugar: Do not worry; Bakura will be playing a larger part in this story real soon.   
  
YumeTakato: I guess you can say the find each other, um now. Next chapter answers a lot more to their oh so secret lives. 


	6. Age Thirteen: Forbidden Love, pt two

Disclaimer: I am lazy again. See last chapter if you must.  
  
Anya: Greetings all. I would just let to say to two quick things.  
  
One: Magician_Gurl, Cettie-girl, and Leilani. All I can say is that we either think alike or I am becoming predictable.  
  
Two: Major pleads time. Don't kill me for the ending. Please!  
  
Seto: What did you do now? Kill someone?  
  
Anya: Not quite. But maybe just as bad.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Yugioh gulped. He had no idea that Ana had heard Setto call him the Prince. 'This is not good.'  
  
Ruia stared at the boy. "I know for a fact that our Prince's name is Yugioh. So unless you gave me a false name, you are truly not he." Her eyes settled on his black hair, which was turning yellow, black, and red. The only person that had those particular colors was the crowned prince. "Dear Ra, it really is you."  
  
Knowing he was caught, Yugioh nodded. "You are correct. I am indeed the crown prince of Egypt. I am deeply sorry that I lied to you, but you have to understand, I had no choice."  
  
Ruia couldn't hide the hurt from her face. 'He isn't a commoner, but true royalty. A relationship between the two of us would never work. Our society would never let it.' She could feel the hot tears of frustration flow freely down her face. She was just glad it was still raining. The tears blended in with the raindrops that ran down her face.  
  
Yugioh however was not fooled. He raised a hand and wiped a tear from the corner of her eye. "Do not cry Ana. Please. It pains me too see you so upset. I never meant to hurt you. I never lied to you, except for the name. That was it. That night did mean the world to me and it still does."  
  
"My name is not Ana." Ruia finally chocked out. "It's Ruia. Ruia Ana. Kallisto is really Anzu Kallisto. We too gave false names. The first day we met I knew you had given us assumed names, so we did too as precautions. " She buried her hands into her face and shook. "We have to go after Anzu and ."  
  
"Setto. And no, the best thing we can do for them is to stay put. Setto will save Anzu and they will be back soon. They were swept upstream. Eventually they will have to pass by us to get home. We have better chance of meeting them here than to go looking for them." He gathered her in his arms. "Come on, let's find someplace dry, well drier than standing out in this."  
  
"There is a cave up by the trees Anzu and I found not long ago. We never went in though. She was a little scared at how dark it was inside. I guess I was too."  
  
"Well, I am with you now. Come on. We can wait out the storm and our friends there."  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Setto swam harder and faster than he thought humanly possible. He could see Kallisto up ahead, trying to keep her head above the water. 'Got to get to her before this water drowns us both.'  
  
A huge wave broke over his head, pushing him under the dark water. He broke the surface moments later, spitting water out in every direction. 'Where is she? I only lost sight of her for a brief moment. Ra, do not have let her go under.' He doubt Kallisto was thinking clearly enough to swim back up or to even hold her breathe when a wave swept her under. He was having a hard time remembering and he had been trained all his life.  
  
A flash of brown caught his eye. Kallisto was barely 5 feet from him, cling to a rock.  
  
'Hold on' he mouthed to her, knowing she would never hear him over the thunderous rains. Diving under water, he swam in the general direction he saw his friend. At least underwater, he could avoid the waves with a little more ease. He popped up seconds later and gasped. A huge swell crashed down on the rock. There was no way Kallisto could hold on.  
  
"ANZU!" he yelled, remembering the name Ana had screamed. Diving under the murky water, Setto prayed that he could find the young woman. Reaching out with his hands, he hoped to brush up against her. He wished feverously that he posed an ounce of the powers Yugioh did. Granted, he had some mystical powers, but not near as sharp or define at his best friends. Still, it was worth a shot, especially if it would save a life.  
  
Believing in his abilities, Setto followed his heart. His dedication was rewarded. He grasped Anzu's arm and yanked her to the surface. The waters had turned eerily silent. As suddenly as the storm had come, it has moved on. Swimming to the bank, Setto carried Anzu to the sure. He was relieved to find her breathing.  
  
"Anzu?"  
  
Anzu blinked her blue eyes once then twice. 'I'm alive.' She glanced up and stared into blue eyes, unmatched in any color here on earth. "Set? I am all right. Thank you. You saved my life."  
  
Setto blushed. "I would do it again in an instant Anzu."  
  
"So, you learned my real name. Sorry Ruia and I lied to you. But we thought you had given us false names so we did the same."  
  
"Ruia is Ana's real name. Fascinating. You were correct though. We gave surnames as well. My name Setto and Yugi is um."  
  
Anzu blinked. "Is who? Setto, tell me who my best friend is with! If it is someone who will hurt her, I will never forgive either of you!"  
  
Setto gulped. He had faced intense training sessions and meeting with powerful advisors and rulers. And never in any of those moments did he feel fear as he felt know. "You would not believe me if I told you Anzu, honest."  
  
"JUST TELL ME!"  
  
"The Prince. Yugi is Yugioh, heir to the Egyptian Throne."  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Ruia inched closer to the fire that Yugioh had built, hoping to get warm. The rain seemed to place a permanent chill on her.  
  
Yugioh motioned her over. Wrapping his arms around her, she snuggled up into his side, head resting on his shoulder, seeking warmth. He was more than happy to hold her. If only they could be like this forever, then life would truly be perfect.  
  
"Yugioh what happens now?"  
  
He turned his head and glance down at his maiden. "What do you mean?" He could see her cheeks turn a blushing shade. Yugioh knew what she meant; he just hoped to avoid the question all together.  
  
"Yugioh can we please stop with our lies. I will be the first to admit it. I care for you. More than anything else in the world." She refused to admit she loved him. That would be too painful.  
  
"As do I for you Ruia."  
  
"Then you will understand when I say nothing can ever come of this. We are from two separate worlds. A friendship is not even acceptable, but I refuse to let go of it." . Yugioh gulped. "I know. Maybe when I take the throne, things will be different and." he stopped as Ruia placed a finger over his lips.  
  
"You could pronounce a law and that would not change the way people accept things. Besides I would have assumed someone of you status would already be in an arranged marriage."  
  
"Father does not believe in that particular tradition thankfully. For awhile there was talks that Qaa, he is my father's advisor, wanted me to marry some one from Greece, so that our two countries could finally end the hostility towards each other, but nothing ever came of that."  
  
Ruia nodded. She desperately wished her father followed the Pharaoh's ways. Though her father never again mentioned an arrange marriage to either her or Ay, she knew the day would come. It scared her deeply. She knew her heart belonged to one and only one person and she was sitting next to him. "Storm is over." She whispered, glancing out the opening. "Oh no."  
  
"What?"  
  
"I didn't realize how late it had gotten. Look, night is already falling. Have we really been here all day?"  
  
"I guess so. I did not realize it either till you had mentioned it to me."  
  
"Father is going to kill me for not being home. I have really messed up this time."  
  
"Shh, Ruia. It will be all right. We shall think of a good reason why you are not home. You could say you were at a temple and when the storm hit, you waited it out there."  
  
"That could work, but what temple. I cannot go say Ptah's, my uncle works there. I guarantee father has checked there."  
  
"Ay is your uncle?" Yugioh exclaimed, utterly shocked. He knew the man that ran the temple services.  
  
"Ai, he was my mother's twin brother."  
  
Yugioh shook his head. "Small world. Okay since Ptah is out, why not the temple of Sekhmet? I see know reason why your father would search there for you."  
  
Ruia gulped. That would be the second place he would look, considering her powers of divinity came from there. 'How did Yugioh ever guess? There is no way he knows who I really am. But what can I saw to convince him out of that place without revealing myself?' "If I am not like her, what is my reasoning for being there to begin with? No, we must think of a place where I could be and still have a solid reason for being there." 'Sorry Sekhmet.'  
  
"Excellent point. Why not the temple of Shait then? Ay was a visionary correct? I am assuming that his twin was as well. And if I am not wrong, I would bet the kingdom you are one too. That is would explain how you knew of Loki."  
  
'He is getting to close to guessing the true. Way to close.' Ruia thought. "Ay and my mother, Aristae, with an e, were indeed visionaries. I may have inherited the ability, but I am not sure. Loki was the first time that ever happened." She fibbed. She kept reminding herself that she had to do this, for protection purposes. The divine father had to be protected at all costs. 'I just wish Yugioh was he. But I guess that cannot be as well. For there is no chance at a marriage between us, and the divinity children are soul mates, destined for marriage.'  
  
"Wait, what was your mother's name again?" Yugioh asked. Some thing about it stirred a memory in his mind, long forgotten.  
  
"Aristae spelled with an e at the end."  
  
The memory became clear and sharper. He was five and Setto was seven. They were standing in front of young girl who looked no older that five herself. He had just thrown her doll into the mud. The doll's name was Aristae, spelled with an e at the end too. Moments later, he found himself at the bottom of the fountain. Ruia was pretty strong.  
  
"It was YOU!" Yugioh explained, laughing. "I do not believe it."  
  
"Me, believe what? Wait I am royally confused here."  
  
"Ruia did you ever visit the palace as young girl?"  
  
"I have vague memories of it. I remember a fountain and girl name Athena, but not much else. Time has clouded over those memories."  
  
"Athena is a palace worker. She is still there with her mother." He then relayed what he remembered about the meeting to her. By the end, both were laughing.  
  
"I remember now, you made me so mad. The only thing I could think to do was push you in the water. I am not sure who had the more surprised look, me, you, or Setto."  
  
"Setto was too mad at me as well to be surprised. I think he rather enjoyed the beating I got." He grinned mischievously. "Commoner."  
  
"Well Palace Brat, you did get what you deserved."  
  
Yugioh laughed. "Okay I did. Even I admit I was a royal pain back then."  
  
"Just then?"  
  
"Watch it. I have command of a whole army."  
  
"Do you think that really scares me?"  
  
He was about to respond when the reality of her statement hit him. She was not scared. Ruia was not a typical commoner in the least bit. She was not easily intimidated or pushed around. She stuck to her beliefs and instincts. "No, I suppose it does not."  
  
"The stars are gorgeous are they not?" Ruia suddenly said, abandoning the present conversation.  
  
"I never really took the time to look at them before, but you are right with your observation."  
  
"I normally sit up in my room and stare out my window for hours just staring at them, watching them twinkle high in the night sky. Only the gods could create something so magnificent as the stars."  
  
"Ruia is it wrong of me to wish that this moment never ends? I do not want to lose you again. And if we return to our separate lives, I will be losing you again. I would rather stay right here with you, watching the stars. Titles and status means nothing here under these stars."  
  
"I would like nothing more either, however, it is nothing more than a dream. We both know this."  
  
"Maybe but our fathers, our people, or even our friends can never take away our night here."  
  
Ruia smiled and snuggled closer to Yugioh. "Yes, like the dance, no one shall ever take our memories."  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"I am sorry, I must have hit my head on a rock when the waves were tossing me about because I swear I just heard you say that Yugi is the Prince of Egypt."  
  
"Anzu, you did not hear wrong. Yugi is Yugioh. I should know. I am in training to be his top advisor."  
  
"But the black hair, Yugioh has red, yellow, and black."  
  
Setto chuckled. "You know that black liquid woman use around their eyes?" Anzu nodded. "Yugioh used it to cover his hair. It comes right out with water."  
  
Anzu felt her mouth drop open, in shock and in horror as well. "Oh no."  
  
Setto's face clouded over in concern. "Are you all right? You are not hurt or anything?"  
  
"I'm well, thanks to you. No, I am concerned about Ruia."  
  
"Yugioh is with her; she could not be in safer hands."  
  
"You misunderstand my concerns Setto. Yugioh is the crowned Prince, not a commoner."  
  
"Right.." Setto replied not following.  
  
"She loves him." Anzu continued on. "She made mention to me last night that she thought Yugioh was the boy from the dance at the palace three years ago. I did not want to admit it, but the chemistry those two had when they were around one another is undeniable. They love each other and both know nothing can come from it. Ruia has to be devastated."  
  
"So Ruia Ana is the girl from the party. Yugioh made mention of it to me as well. Now I feel double guilty."  
  
"Guilty why?"  
  
"Because, I can date the woman I care for and he cannot." It took Setto a millisecond to realize what he had said. 'Two meetings and I am already pronouncing my love for this girl? She must think I am insane.'  
  
"You're not insane. Well, then again you did dive off a rock to save me. Where feelings are concerned however, you are not mental."  
  
"I said that out loud, didn't I?" Setto asked. 'Okay, time to jump back in the river and forget this moment ever happened.'  
  
"You did and." She wished she had Ruia's bluntness at that moment. Ruia could say anything she felt and not feel a twinge of nervousness. "I am glad because Icareforyoutoo."  
  
"Come again? A little slow too." Setto said as he and Anzu continued their pace back to Memphis.  
  
"I care for you too."  
  
Setto stopped walking and breathing in that instant. He could not have heard correctly. There was no possible way. And yet, when he looked into Anzu's eyes, he saw the truth. She was being completely honest with him. "Um, I think we should get back to Yugioh and Ruia. They are probably worried about us. We should quicken our pace."  
  
"You are right of course. What are we going to tell them? I mean, about us?"  
  
"Nothing. I do not want to hurt either of them more than the fates already have." Setto responded with of remorse and regret on his face.  
  
"I do not think I can lie to Ruia like that. She knows me far too well. I cannot hide anything from her or she from me. She will see right through our tricks."  
  
"Yugioh is the same way. I guess our only option is to tell them privately, in our own ways. No sense telling them when we arrive back. It would hurt them far too much. I cannot do that to my friends. I cannot see them upset like that."  
  
"Neither can I. No, it is best to act like nothing has changed between the two of us right now. I can tell Ruia tomorrow, that is if she is still alive. There is going to be another fight tonight at her house. It is already dark and she is not at home. Her father will kill her."  
  
"Will your parents be worried? I assumed any parent would be concerned."  
  
"Sure my parents will be but they know I can take care of self. They know I would seek shelter during the storm. Ruia's dad though, well he is just overprotective. And even though I will never admit it to Ruia, I do understand his reasoning as well as her rebelling. Her father is just scared of losing her, just as he did his wife. My mom says that Ruia is just like her mother, adventurous, brave, and truth. She will not let anyone get in the way of her goals, which is why she and her father fight constantly. Neither really means it."  
  
"I am sure we can think of a good reason why you and Ruia were out so late to avoid problems. Knowing Yugioh, he has already thought of one. Come on; let's get back to the meeting place. I am sure those two are beyond concern now."  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Setto and Anzu hurried down the now charred path towards the trees where the group normally meet. Once her feet hit the sand, Anzu started for another path through the trees.  
  
"Where are you going?" Setto asked, running to keep up with Anzu.  
  
"Awhile ago, Ruia and I found a tiny cave back here. Neither us dared to go in because we both dislike the dark so much so we stayed away from it. I bet anything the two went back here to seek shelter." As if to prove her point, she came across Ruia lying against Yugioh. Neither noticed the other two joined them, rather they were watching the night sky.  
  
"I think you were right." Setto whispered.  
  
Anzu said nothing, just nodded.  
  
Finally, Ruia noticed her friend. "Anzu!" she ran over tacking her friend to the ground. "You're all right. It is about time you got back. I thought I was going to have to go back to Memphis to get a search party for you two."  
  
"Yeah, you looked so eager to get up and go home." Anzu whispered softly so that only Ruia could hear. She hugged her friend back.  
  
"Yeah well. I'll explain later." Ruia replied, hoping that the tears did not start flowing again.  
  
The other girl nodded and stood up. "I think we better get home Ruia Ana. Our parents are going to be worried sick."  
  
"Yours no, mine all ready has the authorities out looking me most likely." She stood and dusted the sand of her outfit. She offered a hand and helped Yugioh up. "I guess this means I have to go."  
  
Yugioh stared at the hand at held his. He wanted nothing more that to hold it forever and never let it go. Of course, he could not do it. He had to take the chance of letting her go again and just pray she would return another day. "I guess you do. Are you sure you will be all right returning home? Setto and I can walk you back to your homes."  
  
Anzu shook her head. "No, it is probably for the best that you did not. If either of you were caught with Ruia and I; it would raise questions that the four of us would rather not answer I am expecting. It is better if we leave separately, like we do to meet."  
  
Yugioh nodded. "You are correct Anzu. If would be safer for all concern." He held Ruia's hand a moment longer. "Shall I see you again?" He whispered softy.  
  
"I do not know for sure. But I swear to you, I will do everything in my abilities to get back to you. You have my word."  
  
Yugioh stared into her deep violet eyes. The truth of her words swelled in them. "I am going to hold that promise to you Ruia."  
  
"I never doubted that you would not. In fact, you better hold me to that promise."  
  
Yugioh moved forward and hugged Ruia tightly. He knew both lingered in the embrace longer than they should have, but neither wanted to let go. Yugioh finally relented and moved back slowly, kissing her gently on the side of her head so neither Setto or Anzu could see. It was safer that way. He knew Ruia would understand, at least he hoped.  
  
"I.I better go." Ruia pulled out of the embrace. Spiriting to catch up to Anzu, the two girls headed along the path back to Memphis. Yugioh watched till the two were far out of view.  
  
"Come on. It is best that we return to the palace. I have a feeling the Pharaoh is going to be most upset with us."  
  
"Do not worry about father. Yes he will be displeased with us, but I do believe I have a way to make him understand our actions. Just leave it to me." Yugioh replied dejectedly.  
  
Setto cringed at the sound of Yugioh's voice. He sounded so sad and defeat. 'This is far worse than what Anzu and I ever thought possible.' He thought as the two hurried back to their home. 'We thought they might love each other, but never did I expect a love that would shatter both their lives. I fear if they do not get over one another quickly; it will be their undoing.'  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"Father if you would only be reasonable."  
  
"Reasonable? You want me to be reasonable when Qaa informs me that my son and his advisor did not show up for their afternoon lesson? And to top it all off, had not see hide or hair of them all day? Yugioh, you are the heir to the Egyptian Throne. Do you not understand the risks you took today by leaving protected grounds? And you Setto, I thought you had better sense than to follow my son's lead. Both of you show great irresponsibility and lack of judgment."  
  
Setto and Yugioh lowered their heads in shame. As soon as the two reentered the palace grounds, Sepi had come across them. Of course, Sepi immediately informed the Pharaoh and it just went downhill from there.  
  
"Father, please. Setto and I have a perfectly good explanation for our actions. If you would please grant me permission to plead our case, I would be most oblique. After all father, was it not you who taught me that a ruler allows his people to implore their side of the story, even if the evidence is overwhelmingly against them?"  
  
Khu smiled. "You are correct Yugioh. I did teach you that. Setto, would you please leave us for the time. I do believe Yugioh wants to debate your innocence in private."  
  
"Any.anything Pharaoh. I beg your forgiveness again for deceiving you." Setto quickly fled the chamber.  
  
Khu raised an eye at his son, who amazingly remained perfectly calm in front of his father. "You never cease to outdo yourself do you? This time you place your life and the life of Setto's, a person you call a friend in grave danger. Sure Loki's minions have been silent for years, but that does not mean the threat is gone. You could have been hurt or killed tonight. So I ask you, what is so important that you risk your very own life for it."  
  
"My country and my people are worth the risk. I know it was wrong of Setto and I do deceive you and the High Priests but I was afraid that if we did not act when the chance presented itself, then it would be lost. I got a lead on possible Divine Mother. I know I should have come straight to you with the information but I was worried that she would slip through our fingers once again. I could not take that risk. Egypt could not afford to lose her again."  
  
"Was this girl the Divine Mother?" Khu asked.  
  
"I do not believe so. I brought up the subject of magic carefully and she was surprised it even existed. So I guess I was wrong about her; that or she is a really good liar. I felt nothing from her though, no magic or divine light."  
  
"Then what lead you to this girl? Sure you must have felt something if you went to all the trouble of sneaking out to meet with her."  
  
"She was a guest from the party the one I was dancing with right before the raid, remember? However, it was not she who is the divine mother. It is best that we forget about her and concentrate on finding the true mother." Yugioh hoped his eyes did not reveal the truth. He could never forget Ruia.  
  
"Does this mystery girl have a name at least?" Khu asked. "And please reassure me that she does not know who you are, both ways."  
  
"Ana and no to both father." Yugioh gulped. He hated lying to his father, but if he knew the truth that Ruia actually knew who he was.not even fate could help him. But what Yugioh could not understand is why he gave his dad Ruia's middle name. 'It is as if I am protecting her, but from what?'  
  
"I do not remember an Ana. Of course we invited some many guests who knows who all was there and was not." Khu laughed then turned serious. "I understand know what you did my son, however it was still dangerous and extremely irresponsible. That is why I feel it is the up most necessary that you have a bodyguard with you at all times. HONDA!"  
  
'A bodyguard? Oh no. Seeing Ruia just got fifty times harder."  
  
A tall man walked into the throne room. His brown hair was short, but a tip of it was black and stuck straight into the air. He wore a normal guards uniform, kilt and neckpiece. The funny thing was though, he looked no older that Setto.  
  
"You called my Pharaoh?" Honda asked, bowing before Khu.  
  
"Ai Honda. Yes, I did call for you. I spoke with you father earlier and he is willing to allow you to accept my proposal to you if you agree to it."  
  
"It is my duty to serve my Lord." Honda replied in a strong and clear voice. He showed no sign of intimidation in front of the Pharaoh.  
  
"Excellent. Honda, you know my son Yugioh." Honda nodded and bowed before the Prince. "I would like you to be his personal bodyguard. Recent threats to Egypt concern me greatly, especially to my son. I would like you to be with him at all times if you accept."  
  
Honda felt his coolness drop. "Me my lord? Are you sure you do not want someone of more experience? I am only sixteen and joined the royal guard recently. Surely there is someone of more experience who would be better suited."  
  
"What you said is all very true, however, you will find that none of my other commanding officers would have the necessary lets call it youth to keep up with Yugioh. He is a bit creative and manipulative."  
  
Yugioh blushed. 'Though father is correct, Honda is just a year older than Setto. This could still play into my favor."  
  
"I understand my King. I shall do as you ask. When would you like me to begin?"  
  
"Now." Khu commanded. "However, there are a few things left to discuss and that can not leave this room under any circumstances. You do not tell any of the High Priests, Setto, or anyone else till you are instructed otherwise. Do you understand Honda?"  
  
"I do."  
  
"Good. Tell me Honda. What do you know of the Divinity Children?"  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Honda sat crossed legged on Yugioh's floor. The two had spent the last part of the hour getting acquainted. Honda found it difficult enough to be sitting in front of the prince, but the Divine Father as well? He was not sure he could handle that. Still though, he liked a good challenge.  
  
"Are you from Memphis Honda? I do not recall you telling me before." Yugioh asked from his seated position on the window.  
  
"Ai Prince. I was born and raised in the fine city just a short distance from the main square."  
  
Yugioh wondered vaguely if Honda knew of Ruia's family. Of course, he never thought of getting a last name from her, but he knew some of her family history, like her uncle's name for starters. 'Stop it, there is no point thinking of her anymore. We can never be together.' But the more Yugioh tried to stop thinking of her, the more persistent the memories and feelings became: the way the wind blew in her hair, the way she laughed, or how content he felt holding her in his arms in the cave.  
  
"Something is bothering you. I can tell." Honda observed carefully.  
  
"It is nothing. There is nothing either you or I can do about my present dilemma. It is something I will just have to face and deal with in time."  
  
"A girl is it?" Honda replied laughing.  
  
Yugioh face faulted. "How in the world did you guess that?"  
  
Honda shrugged. "Simple observation. Throughout the meeting with your father, you were distracted. You have the deepest look of longing on your face. Besides, when you spoke of the Divine Mother, I do not know. It was like you did not want to find her. I know you must, but it is as if your heart already belongs to another. And my dear prince, only a girl could cause all those reactions. I have been there myself. So tell, who is this girl and where is she from?"  
  
Yugioh stifled a giggle. "Memphis. Her name is Ruia and that is where all the trouble begins. She is not royalty. She is a commoner. That is where I was today. She is the one we were investigating. Please Honda; do not tell father her real name. I do not know why I am protecting her like this, actually I do."  
  
"I swear I will not tell. You can trust me. If she is not the Divine Mother then why not tell your father her real name? That is what I do not understand. Your father seems like a fair and wise man; I do not see him harming this girl in anyway."  
  
"It is not my father I am concerned with." Yugioh sighed. "It is Ruia's. See, I know my father. Even though I already confirmed that Ruia is not the one we seek, father will still privately have her background checked. I am worried that her father will catch wind of this. Ruia explained to Setto and I that she does not have the best relationship with her father since her mother's passing. I do not want to bring more trouble to her family than I all ready have."  
  
"Makes sense. But wouldn't your father eventually figure out that you purposely gave him a false name?"  
  
"No. Luckily Ana is a common name. We'll be fine there. Unfortunately, that does not solve the biggest problem of all."  
  
"And what is that?"  
  
A loud knock echoed off the large doors.  
  
"Enter!" Yugioh shouted from his room.  
  
Setto walked in, looking haggard and worn. "You so owe me. I just spent the last hour being lectured by both Qaa and Sepi. I think if Zemti was around, he would have reprimanded me as well." It was then that he noticed Honda. "Oh, hi."  
  
"Setto, this is Honda. My personal bodyguard from now one."  
  
Setto nodded his head at the boy. "Does he?"  
  
"Know about Anzu and Ruia? Anzu no, Ruia yes." Yugioh waved a hand. "I promise I will explain it all to you both later. Right now we need to discuss how we are going to get out of here for future references. I do not know about you Setto or even you Honda, but I am not about to spend the rest of my life protected behind these walls."  
  
Setto shook his head. "Translation."  
  
"He wants to see Ruia again." Honda finished.  
  
Yugioh turned a flashed a grin at the two. "Now whatever would give you two that idea?"  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
She had actually beaten her father home. Ruia had no idea how she had managed that particular miracle but she was glad for it anyway. 'Maybe for one night we can actually get through a meal without some type of an argument. The neighbors would be grateful I bet.'  
  
Ruia hustled through her chore of setting the table. As long as her chores were done, she saw no reason for her father to be upset that she was out late because of the storm. Though she was still going to proceed with the utmost cation. No sense in getting her father worked up.  
  
'Done and not a moment too soon it seems.' She could hear her father's approaching footsteps. 'That is strange. I figured father would have been upset that he had to work late, but if I am not mistake, it sounds as if he is whistling.' She hurried over to the door, careful not trip over all of the furniture, a habit unfortunately, she was quite prone too. Pulling the door open, she saw her father coming up the stone walkway. "Father, I am glad you are home. Did the storm catch you off guard as well?"  
  
Sugoroku smiled. His daughter seemed to be in a happier mood than normal. Something good must have happened. 'Could she have learned the news already? No. There is no possible way.' "Oh? Where you out Ruia?"  
  
"I will admit. I was out late this afternoon, past sundown. I was at the temples praying. When the storm hit, I stayed there and waited it out. I was worried that I would not arrive home in time to complete my chores but I see know that fear was for nothing. Did you have a good day at work?"  
  
"Ah Ruia you would not believe the day I had. Nothing could go wrong. The town's intake is higher than it has been in years and it looks like we will have a surplus, which means we may be able to have another town festival, Pharaoh permission permitting."  
  
"Father that is wonderful. We have not had a town festival since I was knee high. I miss those days. They were always so much fun."  
  
"If all goes to plan, Memphis should be having one this week?"  
  
Ruia whipped around in utter shock. "This week? I thought festivals took months to plan."  
  
"They do, but we have known about the surplus for awhile and made the necessarily arrangements all ready. I did not want to say anything till I knew for certain though."  
  
"This is wonderful. I cannot wait to go. Anzu will be so excited to go as well."  
  
"Actually, I was hoping you would consider going with someone else first."  
  
Ruia placed the plate she had been holding onto the table. "Oh? Who is that father? A daughter or son of a co-bursar?" She had been on many outings with the sons and daughters of her father's business friends.  
  
"No. Ruia, you are thirteen years old, soon to be fourteen. You do know what that means in our culture right?"  
  
Ruia opened her mouth then closed it. She thought a moment before speaking. "I do not understand father."  
  
"Ruia, besides Anzu, a lot of your friends have been courted and even gotten married this past year correct?"  
  
"Sure Annika just recently got married. We went to the party." Ruia stated, still not following what her father was getting at. She stared at him and then it hit her. "Father you did not. Please till me you did not."  
  
"You are going to be fourteen in just a few short months. Most girls are married by that age. You cannot live at home forever. The boy that came to me this afternoon seemed very sweet and taken by you. I had no choice."  
  
"Of course you had a choice father. You could have consulted me! Arranging a marriage."  
  
Sugoroku laughed. "You thought I arranged a marriage for you? Ruia Ana Motou where do you get these notions of yours?"  
  
Ruia was too mad to laugh. "I heard you a few years ago. You discussed that very idea with Uncle Ay, who agreed with you. And to be perfectly honest father, I can see you pulling some action like that with my life." She made her to accent the 'my.'  
  
"Be that as it may, you have do very little to find yourself a husband and now one that is perfectly capable of taking care of you has come along. I do not care what you think, you will be meeting him at the end of this week, like it or not. You will respectful and graceful. And most of all, you will have no of your silly talk of magic or beliefs. You will follow in the traditions of your foremothers."  
  
"Never." Ruia hissed. "You may be able to force me on this date you have arranged but you can never force me to give up in the things I believe in. I will carry those till the day I die which very well could be tonight the way we are going at it. But mark my word father, my magic, my music, and my belief in a better life are forever apart of me and not even you can take them away."  
  
The next thing Ruia knew, she was on the ground. Gently she raised her hand to her cheek and touched into softly. It stung to her very core. She raised her purple orbs to her father in disbelief. 'He hit me. He's never hit me.'  
  
"Ruia.I."  
  
Ruia didn't give him the chance to finish. Rather brushed past him and went to her room. For once in his life, Sugoroku knew the right thing to do. He stayed put. Sitting on a chair, he buried his face into his hands. 'Ra what have I done?'  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Once in the safety of her room, Ruia fell on her bed. She couldn't stop the tears that fell from her face. Everything was exploding around her. First Yugi turned out to be the Prince, then her father, and now she had another mysterious boy to deal with. The hot tears ran faster down her face. She was so lost. When had her life spiraled so out of control? She dimly became aware that someone was brushing the hair out of her face. "Mystical?" she whispered. "But how, I did not summon you."  
  
The green elf smiled. "Sometimes, we guardians can summon ourselves, just like I did that day on the balcony. Now Ruia what has so you alarmed? I felt your distress all the way in my realm, so I know something is troubling you. Please child, tell me."  
  
"I'm so confused Mystical. I.I do not know what do anymore." She launched herself into her guardian's awaiting arms.  
  
"Shh Ruia. Calm down. Start at the first thing that you can think of. We shall work from there." She gentled rubbed her protégé's back. 'What could possible rattle Ruia so much? I have never seen her this bad, not even after Loki.'  
  
"He.he hit me." Ruia finally chocked out.  
  
"Who did? Yugi?"  
  
Ruia looked up, positively scandalized. "No, he would never. Father did. He's never hit me before, not once in my life."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"We had a fight about this boy he wants me to meet. Oh Mystical, it is just awful. He wants me to marry this boy, I can just tell. But I just cannot to do that. First of all, I have not even met him and secondly my heart all ready belongs to the Prince."  
  
The Mystical Elf pulled her charge back to look her closely in the face. "The Prince? You mean the Prince of all Egypt?"  
  
Ruia nodded. "You do not have to say it, I all ready know. Nothing can come of our relationship, no matter what our hearts say. I know I love Yugioh, I am not afraid to admit this but we are from two very different worlds. And now dad wants me to forget everything I was every taught, like my magic, everything I love, like my music, and concentrate solely on becoming a traditional woman. Mystic, you know that is not me at all. So I told dad that and I guess he finally had it with me. He smacked me. I know I deserved it, I spoke out against my father's wishes, but why can he not see that his wishes are not my own?"  
  
"Ruia, it is not that your father does not want you happy, because he does. It is just the only way he knows how to raise you is to set rules that he feels that will best suit you. Now while that may not be the case all the time, it is the only way he knows how."  
  
"I guess I understand that. I just wish he could understand where I was coming from. I hate tradition. Sure we are not like some cultures were arranged marriages are the only types of marriages and I am grateful for that. I want to marry because I love the person. I do not want to be force into something that I will regret later in my life. Sure there is always the possibility of separation, but why should I put myself, my future husband, and family through that when I know right now that it is wrong in my heart."  
  
"If you have never met this boy though, how can we be sure he is not the one for you? What if he turns about to be the Divine Father?"  
  
Ruia wiped a tear from her eye. "That is what I am so confused about. I love Yugioh but socially we can never be together. Father wants me to marry this boy I never met and yet I know in my heart he is not and never will be the one for me despite not meeting him yet. The fates want me to be with the Divine Father and yet he has yet to show his face to me. I have three paths in my life to choose from and only a week to decide which one I am going to follow: my heart, my father, or my destiny. And to be all honest I do not know what to do. Time has run out for my life and me. I have to decide within a week."  
  
"Ruia, it will be all right. We have more time than what you think. Your father is not going to wed you off after one day with this boy. We have time to think and figure out what to do. Sure we are going to be a bit more rushed but we knew some day this very moment would come. You are going to have to make some very tough decisions. And unfortunately, not everyone is going to win. Feelings will be hurt."  
  
"I know. I just wish that these stupid social boundaries did not exist. Then my decision would be easy as anything. I would choose to be with Yugioh in a heartbeat. But instead, I am left with destiny and my father's wishes, not my own." Ruia trailed off. "Mystic, do you have social boundaries like this in your world?"  
  
"Social boundaries exist everywhere Ruia, even where I am from. Now where I live the social boundaries are not lower, middle, and upper classes like yours. We have no need for terms like those. Money has very little influence in Armadais. No, our boundaries come in to view with our magic. Everyone has some type of defense and offensive magic to protect him or herself. I am a spell-caster like many others in my village. Some are insects; others are water based. Those are our distinctions, however, unlike here it does not matter what class you are. We see each other as complete equals. Each person has his or her own personal strengths and weaknesses."  
  
"Armadais. So that is where you are from. It sounds wonderful, perfect even."  
  
Mystical Elf smiled and then laughed. "I guess it does sound perfect but I assure you it is not. We have our problems just like any other village would. My friends and I have our disagreements, but I guess you can say it is less than what you see here in Memphis. I can be friends with whom I want to be and no one says anything about it."  
  
Ruia sighed and tied her hair up off her neck. "Sounds like the most perfect place in the world to me. I could be with Yugioh and no one would try to keep us apart." She yawned. "We could live happily ever after." She yawned again.  
  
Mystical Elf lifted her protégé and tucked her into bed. "It may seem like a perfect place Ruia, but I assure you that there is no such place. Also, there is one more piece of advice I would like to give you."  
  
"Anything." Ruia replied, half awake.  
  
"Even though I know your heart belongs to another, give this boy a chance too. Even though I know you will never love him, do not blow him off either. He too has feelings."  
  
Ruia nodded, too tired to speak anymore. She watched as her guardian returned back to her home. Turning over to face out the window, Ruia snuggled under her sheets. She would not allow the actions of her father to ruin the wonderful evening she had with her one true love. Her dreams could not claim her fast enough.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Ruia flew through her afternoon chores. She could not believe how late in the afternoon it had gotten all ready. Anzu would be at her house at any moment to help her decide on what to wear tonight when she went to the festival with her date.  
  
Too much of her own dismay, Ruia was still going out tonight. She had tried to think of several reasons why she could not attend but not one would work. As much as she hated to admit it, she was trapped. "Ruia? You around?" A voice shouted from the doorway.  
  
"Yeah Anzu, I am here." Ruia walked out of the basement were the food was kept. "Glad you made it. I have no idea what to wear tonight. I do not even want to go."  
  
"I know you do not Ruia but I think you are stuck. However, I think I have something that will get you through the night." She had Ruia a sealed parchment.  
  
"Where did you get this?" she asked, taking the paper from her friend.  
  
"I was at home this afternoon and guess who wound up at my doorstep. Setto! He was with a guard, who turns out to be the personal bodyguard of Yugioh. Setto told me to tell you as well that if we ever want to sneak information to them or they to us, to go through Honda. He will deliver the messages, thus keeping you and Yugioh's friendship a secret."  
  
"So you are telling me this is from Yugioh?" She waved the note in the air.  
  
"Yes." Anzu went on to explain what Honda looked like so Ruia would be able to deliver messages as well. "It will be perfect. We can arrange meetings and give notes and never have to fear being caught."  
  
"Hmm." Ruia replied absentmindedly. She ripped open the seal and began to read.  
  
Dearest Ruia,  
  
I wish I could give you this letter personally but as the Prince travel is well difficult. I pray to Ra himself that you did not get into too much trouble with you father for that night we spent together on the Nile. Father was displeased with my actions but in the end my punishment works out in our favor. Honda, my new bodyguard, has agreed to deliver our messages to one another, that is, if you care to speak to me still.  
  
I still think fondly of that night under the stars. I would give up my title and all the riches in the world just to go back and live that moment once again. I miss you so much. I know we said that nothing more than a friendship can come from our relationship but it is hard to ignore what the heart desires. I meant every world I said there; never forget that. Years from now when we are leading even more separate lives, just remember that I will always care and love you.  
  
Yugioh.  
  
Ruia closed the letter and smiled. She would have to write back later. Right now, she needed to find a really good hiding place for this and unfortunately get ready for that evening's affairs.  
  
"Are you okay?" Anzu asked.  
  
Ruia nodded. "I shall be fine. Come. Let get this over with and get ready."  
  
"You sound like you are being sentenced to death. It is not betraying Yugioh at all to have a little fun tonight."  
  
"I know." Ruia sat at her table in her room. 'But am I betraying my own heart by doing this? That is the real question of the evening.' She opened a small bag that was under her mat and placed the letter inside. She could find a better place for it later. Right now, she had a date to prepare for.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Ruia sat at the table next to her father. Anzu had left long ago with Ruia's promise that she would tell her all about the event later.  
  
"You look just like your mother Ruia." Sugoroku said suddenly.  
  
Ruia smiled and gave a quick thank you. Anzu had done a wonderful job picking out what she should wear. A light blue robe that highlight her eyes especially. Her hair had been combed thoroughly giving it a warm shine. To finish the look, Anzu placed little while flowers behind her ears. Oh how she wished Yugioh were the one to come get her tonight.  
  
A sudden knock at the door jolted Ruia from her thoughts. Rising to her feet, she answered the door.  
  
"Good evening Ruia. My name is Jarha Imhotep. Shall we ajourn for the festival?"  
  
  
  
Q and A:  
  
Melissa and Yami Melissa - in modern days, Kallisto is spelled with a "C", however that name is derived from the one I am using in the story. Now for the meaning, I used most beautiful because that is what the name meant in Ancient Greek. If you are interested or bored like me, I got all this information from a website my roommate found called Behindthenames.com. It is a really cool site and it you are bored, you can look up the meanings to a whole lot of names.  
  
Sparky16 - No dying, hear me? I still need you for idea bounce sessions!  
  
Motou Yasu - thank you. I try to be descriptive because I think that helps make a story enjoyable. Reading is one thing, but to actually picture being there is another. I try to get that feeling with my stories and I glad you think I have reached there.  
  
To everyone else - thank you so much for the continued support. It means the world to me. Thank you. 


	7. Age Thirteen: Forbidden Love, pt three

Disclaimer: I know nothing, which is very true. My college owns most of my money. So if you sued you be getting my tuition bill and that is about it. 

Anya: Greeting everyone! Just a quick explanation of a couple things. 

Rose is the Jewish translation of the name Raya. I know in this story Raya's name is Ruia but when I check for Ruia nothing came up but a spelling correction said Raya. (No I never planned it like that) So I am just going to use that translation. 

Also, Ashina belongs to Sparky16. Thanks for letting me borrow! 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ 

Ruia stared at the young boy in front of her. He wore a green robe with a gold neckpiece that had tiny blue stones set into it. The outfit complimented his green eyes and black hair. 

'I will admit it. Jarha is cute but nothing will change my feelings for Yugioh. They are far too rooted in my soul to be forgotten so easily.' Ruia forced a smile onto her face however. She planned on keeping her promise to her guardian. She would not hurt Jarha so cruelly. "Good evening to you as well Jarha. Do the gods find you in favor this day?" 

Jarha reached for Ruia's right hand and brought it to his lips. Kissing it softly he replied "The gods must find me in excellent favor if they granted me your" company." 

Ruia laughed lightly. 'Dear Ra, I found a charmer worse than Yugioh. I did not think such a person existed.' "You are too kind Jarha. Would you like to come in for a moment? I am sure father would want to extend his greetings to you as well." She motioned for him to come inside. 

Jarha nodded and walked into the Motou residence. "Good evening Sugoroku." 

Ruia blinked in surprise. Jarha had called her father by his first name. That was a sign of disrespect to call an elder by their first name. 'What is Jarha doing? Is he trying to make father mad at him? Not that I mind, maybe father will see he is not the one for me.' 

Sugoroku smiled. "Hello again Jarha. How is your family doing this evening?" 

Ruia lit a candle and brought it to the table were her father and Jarha had gathered to talk. Dusk was settling in over the land and light would be needed to see one another. She sat down next to Jarha. Without even looking at her father, she knew that is exactly what he wanted her to do. She still did not understand what was going on but hoped the air would be cleared during this talk. 

"My mother and father send their regards. Satire is still being her same young loveable self. She absolutely loves it here in Memphis. In her own words, there is so much to see and do." 

"How old is your sister?" Ruia asked, still not meeting either man in the eyes. She was too scared too. If they looked too closely, she was worried that her father would guess the truth that her heart all ready belonged to another. 

"Thirteen the same age as you Ruia. I am my parent's eldest heir at fourteen." 

Ruia nodded this time. She could not explain it, but she could just sense that Jarha was hiding something from her. Her magic tingled through her veins. That never happened unless she was supposed to know something. Whatever that was though, she had no idea. She could feel however that whatever Jarha was keeping from her, it was not dangerous to her in anyway, but still important nonetheless. There was something about Jarha's aura and attitude but she could not place her finger on it. Stealing a glance at her father, she confirmed what her magic had done for her. Her father knew Jarha's secret and neither was talking what it was. 

"Shall we take our leave Ruia?" 

Snapping out of her thoughts, Ruia stood. The faster she got this evening over with, the better. "Of course." When neither man was looking, she checked inside the folds of her sash. Nestled and securely fastened was her guardian's card. She doubted highly that she would need her tonight, but then again, having her friend along wouldn't hurt. 

After giving her father a quick kiss, Ruia and Jarha were off. It was a cooler evening than normal but still warm nonetheless. Ruia could see the orange glow from the fire that lit the area where the festival was being held. 

"Do you know the reasoning behind this festival?" Jarha asked, trying to break the icy silence that plagued the two since leaving the Motou residence. 

"No, I cannot say that I do. Father just explained that the town had enough of a surplus and decided to celebrate. Other than that, I am unsure of the reasoning." 

"Well you are correct for the most part. The official reasoning is to celebrate and pray for a plentiful harvest." 

The two entered the town square. Rich, sweet smells filled the night air. To her left, music played allowing villagers to dance and worship. Ruia mused that Anzu was somewhere among that crowd. To her right was the market filled with all kinds of delicious foods and items to purchase. Her eyes widened in delight. Even as a child, she had loved the festivals. 

"Where would you like to begin? We could walk around the market, get something to eat, or go dancing. This is your night Ruia. It is up to you." 

Ruia turned. Jarha was really nice. "I am going to sound like your sister for a moment. I have no idea where to start. There is so much to see and do." 

Jarha laughed. "Ai, you do remind me of my little sister. She loves the festivals too. I bet she will attend this one at some point in the night. We did not have many in Gizeh at all. 

"You are from Gizeh? I thought you lived here in Memphis though." 

"Oh we do now. We moved to Memphis a little over three and half years ago when I started my training. It was more convenient if I lived here in Memphis than in Gizeh." 

"Your training? Are you not starting a bit late for your trade? I was under the impression that most started there training at a young age." 

"Oh no. I started my training as a metal smith when I was much younger. We moved here to Memphis because…. never mind." 

Ruia turned. "You cannot do that to me. You have to tell me what you are training to be now. I am far too curious for you to say never mind now." 

"I do not want to sound as if I am bragging or something equally as bad as that." Jarha walked next to Ruia as she admired the jewelry that one villager had made. 

"I promise you, I will not interpret it that way at all Jarha." She picked up another necklace, made of purple and red stones. The colors were vibrant and shone like the morning sun itself. Never had she seen such gorgeous shades. 

"I was chosen to train to be a future external of affairs Priest." Jarha replied, not meeting Ruia quite in the eye. He was unsure how she would react. After all, he was working with the Prince. 

"Wow that is impressive." Ruia replied. "That is a very important job indeed." 

Jarha blushed. 'Ruia seems okay with the idea of coming into power if she marries me. That or she does not realize what I meant before. I should check.' "I am a little nervous though. After all, I am going to be one of three advisors to the future Pharaoh. It is a little intimidating working for the Prince." 

The necklace Ruia had been admiring fell from her hand, landing back on the table. Dimly she heard the merchant yelling at her to be more careful but his voice sounded so far away. 'I could not have heard what I think I did. The fates would not be that cruel to me would they?' She had to know. "What did you say?" 

"I will be working with the Prince one day. You know Prince Yugioh." 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~   
Yugioh stood outside on the flat roof of the palace leaning against one of the many waist high stonewalls. Beside him, Setto, Bakura, and Honda stood as well. The four were watching the festival with mild interest. 

"Tell me again why you do not have to make an appearance at the festival Yugioh." Setto asked taking a sip of water from the goblet Athena had brought. "I mean you are the prince and your father is the Pharaoh. Should you not have to be there?" 

"It is not an official ceremony like the ones we have to honor the gods and goddesses. I think we would have gone anyway but father is feeling a bit ill. He did not want to venture out tonight." Yugioh stated simply. "Still though, I would have liked to have been there and seen what the village was doing." 

"And see Ruia right?" Bakura asked with a small smile on his face. He did not turn any face anyone, rather continued looking ahead. If he was to face any of his friends at that very moment, he knew he would double over in laughter. 

Three pair of shocked eyes stared at Bakura. How had he learned the truth? Accusations were bound to fly. Before anyone could start the allegations, Setto asked the one question looming in everyone's head. 

"How do you know about Ruia?" 

Bakura shrugged. He could not keep his laughter in much longer. How quickly his friends forgot what he was. "Have you forgotten dear Setto? I am a visionary. I have seen your Ruia Yugioh in many of my dreams now for the past several nights. Do not fear, the dreams are warning us of any danger. Ruia is who she says she is." 'And then some.' Bakura thought with a tight smile. "Do not worry Yugioh, I have not told anyone of her existence, to your father, the High Priests, or Jarha himself. Your secret is safe with me." 

"Thank you Bakura. Ruia means the utmost world to me, as I am sure you well know now. It is not like I wanted to lie to you, Jarha, or father. It is just, she is not from this world." He waved his hand behind him to show the palace and the riches that came with it. "I just do not know anymore. There is something about her I cannot get out of my head or my heart. She left a lasting impression on me and I can never forget that." 

"You have it bad my friend." Bakura paused. "Speaking of Jarha, where is he? I have not seen him all evening." 

"I saw him leave the palace as Setto and I were returning from Anzu's and the market. I did not ask where he was off too. He seemed really excited though. Had a big smile on his face and humming a happy tune." Honda replied. 

"He asked father for the night off. I guess he wanted to attend the festivities with his family." 

The other three nodded. A shriek of laughter echoed outside. Minutes later, they were joined by Athena and another white haired boy. 

"Ryou!" Bakura exclaimed walking over to embrace his twin. "I did not know you were in town." 

"Um, surprise brother?" Ryou replied still holding Athena's hand tightly in his. The two walked outside further to join the others. At first glance, it was very difficult to tell the brothers apart. They appeared to be mirror images. On closer evaluation, Ryou's eyes were sharper at the corners while Bakura's were rounder and softer. But beyond that minor difference, the two brothers were completely identical. 

"You can say that. Everyone you remember my twin Ryou right?" 

"Hello Ryou. What brings you down to Memphis?" Yugioh asked pushing off the wall to face his High Priest's twin. 

"Prince Yugioh! I did not know you were out here as well. My apologizes for not showing my respect before." He bowed. "I am here to visit my brother and girlfriend. That is, if you will grant her the night off." 

Athena turned to Yugioh, eyes wide in hope. She brushed a piece of lavender hair out of her eyes with her free hand. She had not seen her boyfriend in nearly six months. She prayed that the Prince would grant Ryou's request. 

"Athena, Athena. Of course you can have the night off. You work too hard as is. In fact, I will do you one, Ryou, and Bakura one better. The two of you each can have the nights off to visit with Ryou while he is here in Memphis." 

Athena hugged Yugioh tightly. "I knew there was a reason why I did not kill you as a child. Thank you." She grabbed Ryou's hand again. "Bakura?" 

"You two go on. I shall visit with Ryou later. I know my brother. He wants to be with you tonight." 

Ryou whacked his brother in the head. "I came to see you as well little brother." 

"I am three minutes younger than you, not three years, but you know I am right." 

Ryou opened his mouth and then shut it tightly. Shaking his head he finally replied with a gruff. "Keep telling yourself that. I will see you tomorrow. Night everyone." 

Setto watched the two leave. "Those two are getting serious Bakura. They have been dating what, two years now?" 

"Yes. My brother has no mentioned anything about marriage, though I wish he would. Athena is good for him, even if she is older that him by three years. Still, I worry about my twin sometimes." 

"Oh?" Honda asked. "Why is that? He seems like a good person." He flicked a stone off the roof and watched it land in the sand. 

"Oh he is, do not get me wrong. It is just I has a vision about my brother when I was younger. I saw dark shadows all around him. And no matter what I did, I could not save him. So since that day, I have always worried about him." 

Yugioh frowned grimly. "I am sure your brother will be fine Bakura. But tell me again, how accurate are you with your predictions?" 

"I have never been wrong concerning a vision so far. I keep hoping though that this time, I am wrong though. It would kill my parents if something happened to Ryou." 

"Does your brother have these visions like you?" Honda asked grabbing a handful of grapes. 

"No, I am the only one in my family that posses any type of magic. Neither of parents have it nor my brother. There is no way he could know or have seen what I have. I did not tell him either. I do not want to worry or influence him in any way either." 

Yugioh stood. "I pray that you are wrong for your brother's sake Bakura. Come on. Let's go inside. This conversation has gotten to dark for my tastes. Anyone up for a game of Senet?" 

"But you never lose at the game" Setto protested. 

Yugioh smiled devilishly. "You are catching on Setto." 

As they shuffled inside, Bakura lingered back. 'I wish I could believe you Yugioh but at last I cannot. And unfortunately, Ryou is not the only one I see the darkness claiming as their pawn. I see another man standing off in the shadows as well. Jarha is destined to fall too.' 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ 

"Ruia? Are you okay?" Jarha asked gripping her wrists. She raised her eyes to him. 'Ra she has the most beautiful eyes. I swear I am staring into perfection itself when I look into them. I could just sit and stare into them all evening.' 

"I am all right. You just caught me off guard Jarha. I did not realize I was in the presence of someone with such an important and influential job." 

"Does that intimidate you?" 

'Not in the least bit. I was with the Prince himself and even kissed him and that did not even scare me.' Ruia thought. Unfortunately she knew her father would be extremely displeased with her if she scared Jarha off. Even though that was the old thing she wanted most to do, she knew she could not. 'Why do the fates torment me like this? I can never have Yugioh, no matter what my heart says. Then Jarha comes along, who is perfectly nice in his own right. Now where I could have maybe gotten to like him, I find out he is going to be the High Priest to the one I love. I could never do that. But father will really push for a marriage here I just know it. I am fourteen and unwed. And I know Jarha cares enough for me to propose. What is a girl supposed to do in a situation like this?' She finally remembered to answer Jarha's question. "I guess it does a little. I mean it is just your job not your personality. I see no reason to be intimidated by you. Or are you hiding something else I should know?" She asked mysteriously and even a little flirtingly. She tried to ignore the pain that grasped at her heart. 

"No, I am not keeping anything else from you. And you do not have to worry about the Prince either. He is a great friend. You would be surprised at how laid back he really is. I am sure the two of you would get along great. Do not get me wrong though, when he has to be, Yugioh can be commanding but any other day, he is just like you and me." 

'Oh no Jarha, you are gravely mistaken. Yugioh is like no one I have ever met. He is sweet and pure. He accepts me for who I am and does not try and force me to be a tradition woman of Egypt. No one can ever affect me like he has.' Ruia thought. 'Stop. You have to stop this Ruia. No matter how much your heartaches for Yugioh, you cannot have him. You cannot hurt Jarha who obviously cares deeply for you by being cold and uncaring. Sure you do not love him as you do Yugioh, but you can learn. You have too. There is no other way.' Ruia mentally scowled herself. "I am very glad to hear that. It makes me look forward to a prosperous future." 

"Ai, we do have many wondrous times ahead of us." He smiled softly, hoping Ruia caught onto his hidden meaning. He was planning on having a wonderful future and if all went as planned, Ruia as his wife. 'I know Ruia is not a prize to be won; I really do care for her. However I have heard the stories that she is not typical that she despises tradition. I will have to wind her other another way. I will do it too.' "Shall we adjourn over to the dancing? I am sure you will enjoy yourself over there." He offered his arm to her. 

'Be nice.' Ruia commanded herself. "It sounds like a lovely idea." She linked her arm through his. Ruia could feel the villagers curious gazes burn into her back. 'I guess we do make an unlikely pair, someone of Jarha's status with the town siren. Why is life so cruel? Setto and Jarha can have relationships with Anzu and myself even though they have high political jobs. They can do this since they are not royalty. Yugioh cannot do it though.' She thought sadly. 

Jarha led her to the dancing area of the festival. Ruia spotted her uncle standing next to the fountain, which was in the center of town. She smiled and gave a small wave. 

Ay waved back at his niece. His face clouded over when his eyes settled on her face. She was torn; he could tell. He could not make out who had escorted Ruia to the dance, but whoever it was, he could tell Ruia was not happy. 'Sugoroku. What have you done to your daughter this time?' He wished furiously at times that he never made that promise to his sister. He loved both Ruia and his brother-in-law but they were heading for disaster if they were not careful. Ay wanted no part of that war. It was better to stay neutral. 

Ruia turned back away from her uncle. She did not miss the look he had given her. 'He knows something is up with me. I can just sense it. Oh no. What if he had a vision about Yugioh and I?' Ruia felt the redness creep up her cheeks. 'How will I ever explain that to Uncle Ay? I better go see him tomorrow before word gets back to my father.' She tried to control the redness; she did not want anyone to see her blush and think it meant for Jarha. She searched the crowd again and saw Annika dancing with her husband. Anzu was next to the couple dancing with another local boy. A quick shake of the head from Anzu told Ruia what she needed to know. Setto and Yugioh were not present. Ruia was mildly relieved. If they were there, she knew that she would not be able to control her emotions, She would have launched herself into Yugioh's arms, pleading with him to never let her go. 

And if she knew Yugioh like she thought she did, he would not let her go. 

She did not mind that one bit. So maybe it was for the best that he was not there. As Jarha took her other hand to dance, Ruia felt herself falling into a past memory. No longer was she in Memphis dancing with Jarha. Rather she was ten again, dancing with Yugioh in the Palace. This time, Loki did not come and they stayed in each other's embraces all night. Never once parting. 

"What are you humming Ruia? It is gorgeous." 

Still caught up in her fantasy, Ruia did not realize what she was whispering; truly believing she was with Yugioh. 

"Our song silly." 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ 

Yugioh grinned as Honda pounded his head off the table over and over again. Setto tried to contain his laughter. He had tried to warn Honda that no one could beat Yugioh as Senet. Of course, Honda hadn't believed him. 

"Anyone else want to try their luck?" Yugioh asked with a small gleam in his eyes. 

Bakura quickly shook his head. "Do not take this the wrong way Yugioh, but no. I would not even survive a minute." 

"And I know what your name means. There is no way your are convincing me to play you again." Setto answered. 

"What does the meaning of his name have to do with his winning?" 

Setto smirked. "I figured he had not mentioned it to any of you. Yugioh's name means games of. It only suits him since he never loses at any games." 

Honda eyed Yugioh. "Prince then Pharaoh. Pharaoh means King. You would be Pharaoh Yugioh or King of Games." 

Yugioh's grin widened. "I never thought of that. So I take it no one is ever going to want to play me in Senet again?" 

All three boys heads shook furiously. None of them were stupid enough to challenge the 'King of Games.' 

"None of you are any fun." He moved to clean up the game. 

"Excuse me Prince Yugioh. I am sorry to interrupt you gathering." 

Yugioh turned to see a young girl kneeing and bowing to him a few short feet away. 'Who is this girl and how did she get past all my guards?' 

Honda reached for his sword, which was conveniently at his side. He had just starting to unshed it when a hand clasped his wrist. 

"There is no need." Yugioh stated. "Satire rise. What brings you by the palace so late? Jarha is not here. He requested the night off. I thought he would be with you and your family tonight." 

"My brother requested the night off for personal reasons Prince." Satire replied, tossing her jet-black hair behind her. She smiled broadly in the Prince's direction before speaking. "Jarha is at the festival trying to court a young girl from Memphis. He asked me to stop by tonight to make sure there was nothing he had to prepare for the morning. He did not want to slack in his duties and responsibilities just because he was courting someone." She made sure to emphasis the word and look in Yugioh's direction again. She would do anything to make the Prince court her and that dream could very much become a reality with her brother in such a high political state. Life would be perfect if she could be Yugioh's wife. 'He would make the perfect husband. Sweet, caring, powerful, and rich. He needs someone with those qualities, but also with a bit of danger too. He needs someone like me. No one else can have my Yugioh.' 

"Sepi left nothing for your brother that I know of. Tell your brother not to worry and just concentrate on winning that girl's heart. I would not mind have a party to celebrate." 

"Oh no." Setto cried. "We know what happens when you throw parties. Or do I need to remind you." 

"No Setto, you do not." Yugioh replied with a small chuckle. "My family can never throw a party without some disaster happening." 

Satire smiled. She may be able to work this conversation to her advantage. "That was an interesting party to say that least my Prince. I do hope you are joking when you say that all your parties are I guess we can say, as wild?" 

"They are not normally as wild I can assure you. You have my word as the future Pharaoh of Egypt that you and my guest shall always be protected at palace functions." 

"Thank you. That comforts me a great deal." She purred softly. 

Bakura narrowed his eyes slightly. Something about her words unnerved him a great deal. 

"If that is all you need Satire, I am sure your family would want you back home. I will have Honda escort you back to your residence. I do not wish any harm to come to you and with the festival going on tonight, the danger is much greater." 

Satire eye's danced with pleasure. "Of course my Prince. I am most grateful." 'Though I would rather stay here with Yugioh, I guess I will just have to bide my time wisely. Soon you will see what a perfect wife I would make for you.' She bowed again. "I bid you all good night." She turned and started out of the room. 

Bakura started after her, mouthing a quick wait to Honda. He needed to talk to Satire personally and privately. Jogging to keep up with the girl, he finally caught up with her in the west wing. Grabbing her wrist tightly, he whipped her around to face her. "I know what you are up too Satire." 

Satire faced Bakura with a puzzled expression. 'Oh do you now Bakura? We shall see.' "What ever do you mean High Priest Bakura? I just came by on my brother's request nothing more, nothing less." 

Bakura's brown eyes narrowed further. "Oh I do not doubt that your brother requested you here, but I know for a fact that is not your only intention. Well listen to me and listen to me well Satire. I know what you want and I can assure you, it will never happen. No matter how hard you try. Your silly little flirting games will not work. I suggest you just forget your intentions." 

Satire returned the glare ten fold. "I am a Imhotep Bakura. We always get what we want in the end. And there is nothing you can say or do that will prevent me from making sure that Yugioh chooses me to be his bride. No one will stop me. Not you or any eligible girl in all of Egypt. I will have what I want." She hissed. 

Bakura stood his ground. "Well there is a first time for everything Satire. This is the one thing you will never be able to manipulate into your control. Yugioh is too smart for that. It is best that you forget and move on. OR ELSE." 

"Or else what?" Satire toyed back. 

"You will suffer a far worse fate than you can ever imagine." He replied mysteriously. 

"Suffering a fate worse than I can imagine huh? Sounds like a bunch of nonsense to me." Satire spat. "I'll take my chances." She shrugged Bakura's hand off her wrist. His fingers had left a lasting mark on her skin. She smiled as Honda entered the room. 

"Ready Satire?" 

"Ok course." She giggled. "How can I ever thank you for taking me home?" she asked as they left. She glanced back over her shoulder one last time to stare back at Bakura. 

_He is mine._

Bakura involuntarily shuddered as he watched Honda and the red robed imp leave. 'I tried to warn you Satire, but you would not listen. It is your own fault now, not mine.' 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ 

"How did it go tonight?" Sugoroku asked as he held the door open for his daughter who was sleepily walking up the path to their house. He ran his hand through his thick brown hair in anticipation. 'Please Ra, do not let my daughter ruin this perfect chance to finally find a husband who will care for her, love her, and provide for her. Please.' 

Ruia pushed past her father. "It was a lovely evening, but excuse me if I never want to go on another outing with him father. It is not that Jarha is not sweet or anything like that; I just do not have any feelings for him what so ever. I know you are disappointed father, but that is how I feel." 

Sugoroku sighed. "Ruia Ana, you are thirteen years old. Most young girls your age and younger are at least engaged. Jarha is obviously in love with you. He can provide you with a future we could only dream about." 

"And what of love father? You loved mother with all your heart and she love you. That is what made your marriage so happy, so stable. But what of marriages that are not based on the foundation of love? Where does that leave the couples? I refuse to find out that answer father. I want to be in love with the man I marry, not be forced." 

"In time daughter I am sure you will grow to love Jarha. No, I am positive of it. Yes, you shall continue to meet with him. You will learn to love him in time." 

"If you believe that father, then you are gravely mistake. Love does not work like that. Now if you will excuse me, I had a busy evening. Good night father." Ruia moved around her father and head to her room. Once she was sure her father did not follow, she removed the letter from her bag and read it over once more. 

'Oh Yugioh. I miss you so much. I just wish things could be different that I could be different. A royal princess or something just as powerful, then nothing could keep us apart.' 

She moved over to her desk and pulled out a piece of papyrus. Her hand flew over the paper quickly, her heart telling her exactly what to write. When she was done, she noticed that a single teardrop had cascaded down off her check and onto the paper. She had not realized that she had been crying. Her finger brushed gently over the watermark. 'I have never cried over anything, not even on the anniversary of mom's death. Sure there was that one time Yugioh upset me. But these tears are different. These are the tears of hurt and sorrow, not caused by death, but of the realization of the unlived life. I know I can never love Jarha. There is just something about him. I guess I see him more as the brother I never had or something. My heart tells me Yugioh is the only one for me. I cannot just ignore that. But father is right. I am soon to be fourteen, an age at which most girls are married. What am I going to do? Marry the man I do not love or just pine for the one I can never have? Oh Sekhmet, please lend me some of your insight. Isis, I know you are the Divinity Children's mother. Hear me in this time of need. I need the Divine Father to show himself. I need answers. Who am I to be with in my life, Jarha or this supposed soul mate of mine that is the Divine Father? I understand that Yugioh is not one of my options, but I need to know with the others.' 

Sighing, Ruia knew she would not get the answers that she desperately sought. The gods and goddesses did not make things easy like that. Rather it was her life to live and nothing more. She had to discover the answers for herself and just hope she did not choose unwisely. 

Moving underneath the white covers of her bed, Ruia snuggled up against her pillow, clutching Yugioh's letter to her close to her heart. Before drifting off to sleep, she whispered the words she prayed Yugioh himself could hear one day. 

'I love you my sweet.' 

As if Yugioh could hear in across the village in the palace, he mumbled from his deep slumber. 

'I love you too Ruia.' 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ 

"Ruia, I am leaving for work now! There is a package here for you on the table!" 

Ruia groaned and rolled over. Sometimes she wished her father would just let her sleep in sometimes. However, this time, curiosity was going to win out. She was dying to know what was inside. 'Maybe it is from Yugioh.' 

That thought was all it took for her to spring out of bed. The letter she had been holding fluttered to the ground. Ruia paused and stared at it for a moment. It was then she remembered the dream she had had. A young woman with curly hair was sitting on a tall chair singing. The words were so pretty and amazingly, it described exactly what she was feeling. Before running to the kitchen, she made sure to jolt the words down and grab her response to Yugioh. A little day trip to Memphis wouldn't hurt at all. Besides, she had not seen Setto or Yugioh for a little over a week now. It pained her deeply. 'I cannot believe I am going to say this, but I even miss Setto.' She shook her head and pulled on a white robe. Then she made her way to the table. Sitting there was a small package, not bigger than the length of her arm. Curious, Ruia opened the lid and gasped. A red and purple necklace lay on white cloth. It was the same necklace she had been admiring last night with Jarha. 'This must have cost him a great deal.' Gingerly she ran her hand over the cool stones. As much as she hated to admit it, she loved the gift. 'Is it wrong though to accept the necklace knowing I do not love him? Is it betraying in my love for Yugioh?' Ruia did not know. Like so many other things anymore, she did not know what to do. 'Father probably knows it is from Jarha, which means I have to accept and wear the gift.' She unclasped the piece of jewelry and placed it securely around her neck. The gems brought out the color in her eyes, but still she had her doubts about wearing it. 'There is nothing I can do. I have to hold back my true feelings. It is for the best of the family.'   
  
Taking the lid back into her hand, Ruia started to close the box back up. Only then, did she see the note inside the lid. 

_A Queen deserves the very best. Enjoy my sweet._   
_~Jarha_

Guiltily, Ruia hurriedly closed the box. 'He truly loves me and what do I do? Think about how much I love the Prince. Jarha has done nothing wrong. I must put aside my feelings for Yugioh and concentrate on fulfilling a life that I really do not want. But it is for the good of my family and my country.' She turned and glanced at her reflection in the water that Sugoroku had brought in. 'Is it not?' 

Dejectedly, Ruia sighed. 'I need to talk to Uncle Ay that is what I need to do. But first, I have a small detour to make first.' She grabbed the letter that she had brought from her room and hurried out of her house. 'I just hope Honda is outside. I do not know what I am going to do if he is not. I cannot take this letter to the temple with me, too much can go wrong if I did.' 

She walked as fast as she could through the town, carefully to avoid colliding with innocent bystanders. Her sandals crunched in the sand as she quickened her pace. Maybe she would see Yugioh or even Setto. She knew the odds were slim at best, but she could hope. Finally, she reached her destination, the Palace. It loomed in front of her. Moss clung to the walls, giving it an older look, but for the most part, looked warm and inviting. Of course that did not apply to her she after all was a commoner. 'Where is he?' she thought as she looked at the guards, trying to spot the one Anzu had described to be Honda. 

"Ruia Ana I presume?" 

The voice made Ruia jump. She turned and came face to face with a palace guard. "Honda?" She asked meekly. 

Honda smiled. "Relax. I am he. So you are the girl that the Prince has fallen in love with. I must admit, he knows how to pick them." 

Ruia blushed deeply, not from Honda's compliment, but from what he had said. Yugioh had told Honda that he loved her. It was an overwhelming feeling. "Thank you. I was informed that you help us stay in touch, correct?" 

"Ai that is what I promised. Actually I am glad you came by. It saved me a trip to your house. Yugioh gave me this early to give to you." He handed her a small arm band. It was gold, but carved into it was two stars interlocked. "He said you would understand the design." 

Ruia nodded. "We met under the stars and found each other again under those same stars." She slipped the bracelet on. "Will you give this to him for me Honda?" 

"Of course Ruia. I will make sure he gets in personally." 

"Gets what?" a voice asked. In the next moment, Honda found another body on his back. 

Ruia gasped as a blond hair guard jumped on top of Honda. 'Ra, please do not have let him heard Honda's and I's conversation.' 

"What do you got there, Honda? A love letter?" He looked at Ruia. "Whoa, I am impressed that you got a girl, but more impressed that you got a good looking one." 

Honda shrugged the guard off his back and watched him thud to the ground. "Jou, I do not know about you sometimes. You are either the craziest person I know or the stupidest. I am just not sure which." 

Jou grinned from the ground. His chocolate brown eyes danced with excited. "Well are you not going to introduce me to the lovely lady or am I going to have to do it myself?" 

Ruia laughed. "The name is Ruia. And are you sure you can handle introducing yourself? I think it may be above your capabilities." 

Jou blinked, then laughed. "I like you. You got sass. There are not too many girls in Memphis that could joke like that. My name is Jou. Pleasure to meet you Ruia." He stood up and dusted the sand off him. "I have to ask, how did you ever get involve with a guy like him?" He pointed at Honda. 

"How did you?" She raised an eyebrow. She liked this Jou character. He knew how to easy up and have a good time. 

"Aw Honda and I have been best friends since we were little. No seriously, how did you two meet?" 

"We're not involved" The two replied instantly. 

"Then what is up with the letter?" 

"It is a love letter to the Prince. I am madly in love with him." Ruia replied with a straight face. 

Honda's mouth dropped open. He did not expect that to be her answer. 'We are in trouble now.' 

Jou doubled over in laughter, too much of Honda's surprise and relief. "I love you Ruia, you are a woman after my own heart, a love letter to the Prince. How do you think of these things?" 

Ruia shrugged. "It just popped in my head. Actually it is a letter from my father to Honda's. My father knows Honda's through work I guess. I am not even sure what the note contains, I did not ask. My dad just asked me to deliver it this morning." 

"That is nice of you." 

Ruia smiled. "I better be on my way. I have other errands to run before I return home. Honda, I have your word now right?"   
Honda nodded, still in shock. 'How she ever thought of that story so quickly is beyond me.' 

"Thank you." Ruia turned and headed to her uncle's. Once she was out of hearing range, she doubled over in laughter. 

"She was cool. I cannot say that I have ever met another one like her. Never could marry her, she is far too much like me, but she reminds me a sister. I could really get along with her." 

"She is something else, I can tell you that. Hey, do you mind watching my post for a minute? I want to put this inside the palace so I do not lose it. If I did, I think Ruia would have my head."   
  
"Sure man, go on. I do not think I would want to get that girl mad at me either." Jou replied laughing. 

Jou watched his friend run up to the palace. He then turned to where Ruia had disappeared too. 'I cannot be for sure, but I cannot help but think there is more to Ruia than Honda is letting on. I have known him since we were babies; he had never mentioned a Ruia to me before. And a girl like that, I know he would have. Still though, she is pretty quick headed. I would not mind running into her again. I have a few jokes I could use on her. Then again, I bet she has some she could use on me also.' 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ 

Honda ran down to Yugioh's room. He figured the Prince would not be there since his father had asked him to take over some minor functions while the Pharaoh was under the weather. He was surprised to find the brown metal door to Yugioh's room closed. Unsure what to do, Honda knocked. 

"Enter!" 

Honda opened the door and walked in. "Yugioh, I did not expect to find you here. I was under the impression that your father had plans for you all day today." 

"The meeting with the Roman officials did not take as long as we planned. They cooperated with us on every issue that we presented. If it was any other country, I would have been leery, but we have been on friendly terms with them forever now. I trust their leaders fully. But enough with the formalities, what brings you by? I thought you were outside." 

"I was but I had a visitor." He handed the note to Yugioh. 

"Ruia." He whispered softly running his fingers over the note. "How did she look?" 

"In good spirits. We were almost caught however by Jou. All I have to say is that Ruia would make a good politician. She thinks quick on her feet." Honda sat down in the empty chair in the room. "I thought for sure we were going to have to admit the truth to him, but Ruia…wow." 

Yugioh raised an eyebrow. "What did she say?" 

"She actually admit that the letter was to you while keeping a straight face." Honda laughed. "She and Jou had been joking right before and Jou totally thought that she was joking again. She then said it was a letter from her father to mine. Of course that is not nearly as interesting as a love letter so Jou dropped the subject. It was amazing." 

Yugioh shook his head while straightening out his armor and red cape. "That sounds like something she would say." He paused. "I hate formal wear. I hope father gets well soon. I do not think I can handle this wear much longer." 

Honda laughed. "You better get used to it my friend. One day, you will be forced to wear that everyday." 

"I know. Luckily my becoming the Pharaoh is a long way off. And between you and me, I am glad. These meetings are so boring, necessary, but boring. I still have two morning today." Yugioh rolled his eyes. 

"But you have some free time right now right?" 

"Yeah." 

"Then I shall leave you alone. Something tells me you would rather read you letter from your girlfriend than talk with me." Honda stood. 

"Thanks for understanding." 

"Hey if I got secret love letters from a girl; I would want to read them immediately too. Going to share the contents of it later?" 

Yugioh raised an eyebrow. 

"Okay guess not. I better go and take my position back from Jou. Knowing him, he is either practical joking someone or Ra knows what else." He walked out of the room. 

As soon as Honda was gone, Yugioh tore up the letter. He had waited days for Ruia to respond. For a while, he was being to think she was not. 'I should have never doubted her.' 

Dearest Yugioh, 

I too think fondly of that night under the stars, as well as the dance we shared at your party. I know we agreed to never think more of our relationship than just friends, but it is so very hard at times. I am not sure if you feel exactly the same way I do, but from you letter, I think that you must. 

I was always a big believer in that there is one person made exactly for you in the world. Sometimes a person is fortunate enough to find their soul mate. I never imagined that I would find mine at such a young age. I guess you can say I fell in love with you at ten, but I bet there were they when we first met at five. I was probably just too mad at you to notice. But now, I know perfectly well what my heart is telling me. You are the one the fates chose for me. And there is no title in the word that can ever come between the love and devotion I feel for you. 

And yet, I am bound by my status and my morals not to follow what my heart so deeply wishes. Maybe if we lived in another age, another time, things could have been different. People would not judge us for what we represented, rather acknowledge and support the love I feel so deeply for you. Maybe I am just the eternal dreamer that father keeps insisting that I am. But the reality of the world I live in, it is just too painful not to dream. Is it so wrong to wish that you and I could be together forever? 

I wish we could just go back to the night in the cave and stay there forever, locked in one another's embraces for all eternity. Or maybe we should have just fled to parts unknown. At least then, my heart would not be constantly broken by the cruel twists of natural. 

Okay, that was too depressing. Love letters are supposed to be happy. But how can I be happy when I am not with you? The one who completes my soul? The one who makes me feel like I do not have to follow tradition to be loved? The one who kissed me so tenderly and made me understand what it meant to be truly in love? 

Ra, I miss you. I wish I could just be with, if only for a second. But I cannot be selfish; Egypt must come first. Though is it so wrong to wish to be with the one I so desperately love, even for just a brief second? Probably. I know you have duties and I have mine. Just promise me that you will never forget the moments that we shared, even if they were only for a night or two. I know I never will. For in those moments, I learned what it meant to love and be loved in return. You are my first and truest love, Yugioh, and nothing will ever change that.   
Love,   
Ruia 

He ran his finger of the watermark. 'She was crying.' It comforted Yugioh for some small reason. Maybe because he finally understood that it pain Ruia as much as it did he to be away from the other. Yugioh folded the letter up tightly. 'I know exactly how you feel Ruia, for I feel the very same way about you. I never loved anyone as much as I do you. And I know that there is not another single person in Egypt that can ever make me feel like you do, the world even. I like the person you make me Ruia. I am happier, more relaxed. I feel as if I can handle anything the world throws at me. I just wish things could be different…' 

He glanced down at the floor when he foot hit a piece of papyrus. "Hello what is this?" He picked the paper up and opened it. Smiling, he realized it was another note from his love. 

I had every intention of leaving the letter off there palace brat, but I could not ignore what my heart and even dreams now tell me to do. I blame Loki for that. I never had visions till he came into our lives. But maybe that was a good thing in a way. I mean if he had never attacked the palace and we learned each other's identities; we would have known then that we could never be together. It might have been easier then to let go. But with three years of pining for you, my love grew stronger. So maybe Loki attack was not all bad. He brought us together, not that that justifies his actions in anyway. Attempted Assassination is a crime after all. But still, if you had cancelled the dance because of the threats, we never would have met nor had that wonderful moment under the stars. All the hardships in my life were forgotten that night. The world ceased to exist, except for you and me. And then, I had a dream last night. For the past week I had been trying to capture the words I had felt that night in either prose or lyrics, but nothing seems true enough. The emotion I felt with you that night I could not capture, till I had that vision. The words were so gorgeous, so right; I had to share them with you. Though they are not my own, this is exactly how I feel Yugioh. The next time we see one another, I promise I will sing it for you so you may have to full experience. Until then my love, I will look at these words and think of you. I love you. 

One summer night   
We ran away for a while   
Laughing, we hurried beneath the sky   
To an obscure place to hide   
That no one could find 

And we drifted to another state of mind   
And imagined I was yours and you were mine   
As we lay upon the grass   
There in the dark   
Underneath the stars   
Young Love   
Underneath the stars 

Weak in the knees   
Wrapped in the warm gentle breeze   
So shy, a bundle of butterflies   
Flush with heat of desire   
On a natural high 

As we drifted to another state of mind   
And the feeling was so heady and sublime   
As I lost my heart to you   
There in the dark   
Underneath the stars   
Young love 

Beautiful and bitter sweetly   
You were fading into me   
And I was gently fading into you   
But the time went sailing by   
Reluctantly we said goodbye   
And left our secret place behind   
And I lay in bed all night and I was   
Drifting, drifting, drifting, drifting 

And I was yours   
And you were my own   
My own baby   
As we…   
Lay underneath the stars 

He grasped the notes tighter in his hands. The pain he felt in his heart was just too deep, too intense. There was no medicine or cure in the world that could stop that hurt either. There was only one thing that could even come close and that was to see Ruia one more time, even if it was for the briefest of moments. 'But with father under the weather, there is no way I can leave the palace to meet her, not like we used to at least. I cannot abandon my people and country like that. They are just as important as she, but what it all comes down to is our status again. If only things were different, then maybe…' Yugioh mentally slapped himself. 'Enough wishing,' he commanded. 'There is nothing either you or Ruia can do about your present conditions. No matter how much your heart yearns.' 

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Ruia bounced up the temple stairs. She was not completely sure where Ay would be. She was pretty sure he was not downstairs in the schoolrooms, but she could not be totally sure. 'I guess I can check the main hall and then downstairs for him.' 

She moved allow the stonewalls looking curiously at each temple worshipers hoping to find her uncle among them. 'I hope he is here and has not left Memphis for the day or something.' After not seeing him upstairs, she walked down the steps that lead to the schoolrooms. It was there she finally found her uncle, in the mist of training a young boy in the arts of medicine. 

Seeing the sight made her remember one of her schoolmates she had known when she was little. Tragically, she was gone now. She waited to her uncle was finished then walked inside. 

"When I came downstairs and saw you teaching that young boy medicine; it made me think of Ashina. I remember we used to sit in this very same room; you trained me while Achilles trained her. Those were happier times, weren't they?" She ran her hand over the book Ay had been using. She recalled Ashina reading it many times when they had breaks. 

Ay smiled, remembering the remarkable girl who posed an amazing gift of healing. She had so much promise, but tragically had been killed during the raid in Alexandria when Ruia was only ten. So many lives were lost that day. "You miss her, do you not?" 

"Of course." Ruia smiled. "She was a scholar like me. We both strived for the very best. Besides, she was one of my best friends; Anzu's too. It is not the same you know?" 

Ay nodded. "It is, but I doubt very highly that Ashina is the reason why you came by today. It is neither your practice nor schooling day so I know something else is on your mind. Tell me child, what troubles you so?" 

"Uncle Ay, you saw the boy I was with last night, correct?" She watched as her uncle nodded. "Then you must have recognized him. He is Jarha Imhotep, future high priest to Prince Yugioh." 

"Ai I did realize who he was. You are a very lucky young woman Ruia. He can give you a life that most only dream of." He studied his niece's façade. "And yet, I can tell this does not make you happy. Why child?" 

"I do not love him. It is as simple as that. I care for him, but more as a friend, not as a future husband. Father however feels that I can learn to love him in time. I am not nearly as confident. I mean does love really work that way? I thought when I met my husband, I would instantly know, not learn to love him." 

"You have asked the greatest rhetorical question of all time Ruia; what is love? I guess it has several different meanings, applying differently to each individual person. Some people find their spouses instantaneously. Others fall in love with their best friends after years of friendship. Can you love Jarha in time? I guess it is a small possibility. But if you feel so strongly that he is not the one you seek, then most likely it is because it is true. There is some one more right for you out there in the world." 

"My heart tells me that Jarha is not the one. I do not know Uncle. I have not had visions warning me that he is evil or anything like that, there is just something there I do not trust. Maybe it is just because he is not the one for me, like you said I would know." 

"Ruia, what does Sugoroku say in all this? Have you told him what you feel?" 

Ruia laughed. "Of course. But you know dad. I have a chance to move up in the social standings. He wants me to leap at the chance. I understand his reasoning I guess. I mean it is just frustrating some times." She handed back the book to her Uncle. 

"You remind me of your mother so much at times." 

"Mom? How come?" She was surprised to hear that. She knew that she looked like her mother, but acted like her, well that just shocked her. 

"Do not look so shocked little Rose. You and your mother are very similar. She too believed that life should not be so traditional. She wanted to change the world too, much like you do." 

"So what happened? Did she settle down and follow tradition or still keep alive her views?" 

"Well around this time your mother was engaged to your father. She still wanted to do so many things with her life but then she realized a very important thing Ruia. Even though she did not particular agree with tradition, it was a necessary link to our survival. Aristae knew that she could not totally change the world, but start small. And do you know what she did?" 

"Besides marry dad? No." 

"She had a daughter. And by having this special little girl, she instilled her views into you, so that you too could learn that world was yours for the taking. However, you have to remember that even newer ideas are founded on traditions." 

"So you are saying that even if I marry Jarha, I can still change the world?" 

"I know you Ruia. You never let anyone trample your fighter's spirit. Do not let this situation be your undoing. You have to understand where your father is coming from. He is just trying to protect you from the harsh realities of this world. Sugoroku is just looking out for your best interests. You can live in comfort for the rest of your life. That is a life that only our people can dream of. I know you say that you do not love Jarha in a romantic way. But in time you can learn to love Jarha. Love is a funny thing. One minute, a person can be your best friend and the next, your spouse." 

Ruia nodded and tucked a piece of her hair behind her. She sat on top of her uncle's desk. "So you think I should give Jarha some time, to see if anything comes about?" 

"You have to do what you want to do Ruia." 

'Well what I want, I cannot have.' Ruia thought desperately. "Does life get any easier with age?" 

Ay laughed. "If anything it gets harder. But let me give you a piece of advice that has never steered me wrong. If all else fails you, logic and your mind, there is always one thing that will lead you to the truth, and that is your heart." He made sure to stare into his niece's pain-filled purple orbs. "Your heart can never betray you Ruia." 

Ruia held her uncle's gaze. 'It is as if he is staring into my soul. Does he see the truth? That I am in love with the Prince?' She quickly jumped off the desk. "Thanks you uncle. I will take heed of what you said, but I better return home. I...I have chores to do." Ruia hastily ran from the room. 

'Ah my little Rose. You may think you are concealing the truth from me, but I can see it clearly in your eyes. You will never love Jarha. I just wish Sugoroku could see what I did in you. Your eyes sparkle with excitement. Your heart already belongs to someone else.' 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ 

"I am literally going insane!" Ruia shouted, heading hitting the table in Anzu's kitchen. 

Anzu smiled sympathetically. "I do not know Ruia; I mean I would not mind being showered with gifts from a boy." 

Ruia raised her head and glared. "There is a thin line between gifts and obsessiveness. Everyday it is something new, jewelry, a poem, or flowers. Do not get me wrong, it is very sweet of him and all, but it is still a little creepy. Even you have to admit that." 

For the last three weeks, Jarha had been at her house day after day. Each time, he brought some kind of extravagant gift. Of course, that had impressive her father further. It never failed that after Jarha left; her father would make some type of insinuate that she should just declare herself engaged. After about the sixth fight, Ruia learned that the best course of action was just to keep her opinions to herself. Her father did not care that she felt no feelings what so over for Jarha. And it did not help matters any when her heart was longing for Yugioh, despite not seeing him for over a month. There was occasional letters here and there, but it was not the same. Seeing the one you loved in person meant so much more. 

"I guess it is a little weird in your opinion. But in Jarha's, he is just trying to win your heart. Do not worry, I know that is the impossible task." Anzu replied bring over two cups of juice for them. She sat down next to her long time friend. 

"I miss them." 

Anzu did not have to ask whom Ruia was speaking of, she knew. "I miss them too. I cannot believe it has been a month since we last saw them. It does not seem like that long." 

"Oh it has, believe me." Ruia mumbled into the table. She sighed. "Okay, I promise. I will stop feeling sorry for myself. I know you must be sick of hearing about all this." 

Anzu shook her head. "Ruia, you are my best friend. I know how much this situation upsets you. It is okay to talk about it. I know you would not get any support at home over it. I understand that it helps to talk." 

"Ai, it does. I just wish I could get over him and move on with my life." 

"But you cannot." Anzu gripped the cup tighter. "Sometimes I envy your patience Ruia. I mean, here you are denied your one true love and you are not going on a rampage. Your best friend is allowed to date the man she loves, who happens to be the best friend of yours. And yet, you remain supportive and calm. I have no idea how you do it." 

'My divinity helps a great deal. It definitely gives me more patience that most humans posse.' Ruia thought as she took a drink. "Luck I guess." 

"Maybe…" Anzu trailed off as someone knocked at the door. She quickly jumped up to answer it. 

Ruia paid no attention to who was at the door till she heard a shriek of laughter. Standing, she moved over to the door. It was a sight to see, Anzu crushing Setto to death. "Hey Anzu. I think he needs some oxygen." She said laughing as she saw that Setto was turning a shade of blue. 

"Opps." Anzu loosened her hold. "Sorry. What are you doing here Setto?" 

"I came to visit. Hey Ruia." He wheezed. 

"Hi yourself. Come on in since Anzu in obviously to wrapped up to think of that." She waved him in. 

After the teens settled in, Setto got down to the real reason why he had come by. 

"I am glad you are here Ruia, the news I bring concerns you as well." Setto explained. 

Ruia and Anzu glanced at one another. Questions loomed in their eyes, but neither spoke. 

"I know it has been a long time since Yugioh and I have been able to meet with you at the meeting spot. I assure you though; we have our reasons. It is not like either Yugioh or I do not wish to see you. It is just an unfortunate circumstance that prevents us. I would have disclosed this news to you or Ruia in a letter, but I felt it was better left to a face-to-face meeting than in a letter. That is why I made sure to free up some time to come speak with both of you. I am just relieved I do not have to track down your house now Ruia." 

"You would have found it. It is not that hard. Now tell us, what is this news you bring?" Ruia asked, a deep fear settling in her heart. Was something wrong with Yugioh? Was he sick? Or worse, did he find a wife? 

"For the past month, the Pharaoh has been feeling under the weather. We assumed, as did all the healers, that he would eventually get better. That has not happened yet. So Yugioh has been taking over more and more of his father's duties. This is why we would never escape from the palace; our jobs prevented us from doing so. And it seems…"Setto gulped. 

"Setto, what ever it is, just tell us." Anzu whispered. 

Setto nodded and accepted the water Ruia brought him. "And it seems that Yugioh's reign as Pharaoh may start sooner than we all thought. The healers are now saying that his father will not live much longer." 

Ruia and Anzu gasped. "How is the Prince handling all this?" 

"Not well to be all honest. His father is all he has left in the world. The news devastated him. But you know Yugioh; he keeps a smile on his face. He has accepted his destiny. When the time comes, he will be ready to become Pharaoh of all Egypt. Now that day may not come for months, we just do not know. Zemti and Bakura have foreseen nothing. But when he does come Pharaoh…" Setto stopped and stared at Ruia. He watched as a single tear cascaded down her face. 

"I know Setto, you do not have to say it. Once Yugioh becomes Pharaoh, I can never see him again." 

**Q and A**   
****

**Black Unicorn:** I use a lot of different resources when I search for information. I am working for a history minor in college, so I have many textbooks at my use. But one of the websites I use is www.mce.k12n.net/ancient_egypt/egyptaindailylife.htm . It is a really fun site with a lot of information and games. Now to answer you other question. Age ten is just a relative guess for adulthood. Some cultures said age ten, others were 12. I never found a exact age for Egyptian Life. However, since girls were married normally between 12 and 14 years of age, I picked a year before that were the children would become adults. Is it accurate, probably not. Though an interesting little fact I learned was that most Egyptian children started learning their trade starting at four. So maybe they were treated as adults at even a younger age. I hope that answers your question. 

**Melody Hoshi Sugar –** Um, I plead plot hole. Actually, Honda and Setto are the same age in the story, that being 16. Setto is three years older than Yugioh. So I guess Setto could still be older than Honda, but I can see where the discrepancy comes in. I just overlooked that detail when I went through Family History. 

**Melissa and Yami Melissa Melissa and Yami Melissa:** Maybe the website is wrong. You really got me stumped on that one. LoL 

**Katya-** That happens soon, it is in the next age of fourteen. 

**YumeTakato-** chemistry eh? You have my condolences. In my chemistry class back in high school, I was not allowed to play with anything. Catch water on fire and they do not trust you anymore. Good luck with the project.   



	8. Age Fourteen: Destiny's Scheme, part one

Disclaimer: yeah right.

Anya: okay, it is time for my ceremonial apology speech.

Kris: Sit back and enjoy people, she is actually on her knees here.

Anya: I am so sorry this chapter took so long to get posted. I have no real excuse other then a really bad case of writer's block that never wanted to go away. I am so sorry for making everyone want so long. Do not worry, I have already got my verbal warning of death from my roommate if I ever do something like this again. Thank you for understand and as a gift to all of you for putting up with my lack of writing, I have made this chapter a little longer than my others.

Kris: do I even want to know the page count?

Anya: No.

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Yugioh groaned softly as he massaged the temples on the side of his head. 'If this is what it feels like to be Pharaoh, then I do not want the job at all.' His head throbbed in pain. The meetings never seemed to end nor did the workload seem to decrease any. 

Setto slumped lower into his chair, headpiece drooping over his eyes. "It is times like these I wish I paid more attention to Qaa, Sepi, and Zemti when they lectured us. Never did I imagine that running a country would be this hard or this mind boggling."

Beside him, Jarha and Bakura quickly nodded in agreement. The two of them looked equally as tired, if not more. Both their eyes were blood shot. 

"No offense here Prince Yugioh," Jarha stated, remembering protocol. "But why is Qaa, Sepi, and Zemti not handling all these affairs? They are still the High Priests, not us. We are still in training until the day you are official named Pharaoh. Why are they leaving so much up to us?"

Yugioh shrugged. "I am not sure either Jarha. I know father has not gotten better yet but I know he will. Maybe they just want us to gain some valuable experience or something equally as important as that."

Bakura's chocolate eyes fluttered over to the doors that led to the west wing. He could not be certain but the future seemed bleak for the mighty Pharaoh. Zemti had been having the same premonitions. Khu had been getting weaker and weaker with each passing day. Qaa was not letting the four of them conduct the meetings for experience at all. No rather, he was preparing them to take over – for good. 

"I do not know about the rest of you, but I am tired as anything." Setto said trying to stop his yawning. It was still early afternoon, but all ready, he was ready for a long sleep. He felt his eyelids close when something grabbed his leg tightly. "What the…"

Looking down, he saw a mass of wild black hair clutching his leg. Chuckling, Setto bent down and lifted his four-year-old brother into his lap. "And just what are you doing here little brother? Mother must be worried sick." Setto whispered, tickling his brother on the stomach.

"Set! You not home in days. Me missed big brother, so I came and find!" The boy exclaimed digging his head into the older boy's chest and promptly falling asleep, a smile creeping onto his little face. Setto found himself wishing that he could do the very same thing at that moment; curl up somewhere and sleep the rest of the day away. Of course that was not possible, there was still much work to do.

"I did not know you had a younger brother Setto." Jarha whispered, careful not to wake the slumbering child. "How old is he?"

"Four. Duckie here is our little adventurer. If you do not watch every second of the day, he wanders off. I bet anything he walked here from our house in town. Mother is probably frantic."

Yugioh stiffed a laugh. There was a great deal of years between the two brothers, ten to be exact, but clearly that meant nothing to either one. Setto loved his little brother and Duckie adored his older brother. The two were rarely seen apart when Setto did not have to work. And it was true; Setto had no been home as of late, since meeting tended to run late into the night. He knew Mokuba must have missed his brother terribly. 

"Duckie?" Bakura asked hesitantly.

Setto laughed. "It is not his real name, I assure you. It is actually Mokuba Zaki but everyone at home calls him Duckie." He shifted his younger brother in his arms some to hold him tighter. "Two years ago, my family took a trip up to Cairo.  While we were there, our little adventurer here decided that he liked the animals in the water. Of course, that meant he had to go in after them. I found him a moment later sitting in the water quacking to one of the water animals. And after I told Yugioh this story, he started calling my brother Duckie. Since then, everyone has been calling Mokuba Duckie."

"I am telling you, your parents need have his name legally changed to Duckie." Yugioh said with a laugh. He loved Setto's younger brother probably as much as Setto himself. He was fascinated with younger children, most likely because he was an only child himself. He sometimes envied Setto and Duckie. He often wondered what it would have been like to have a sibling. 

"Is it any wonder why I do not let you around him? I am terrified at the thought of what you would teach him." Setto stood up. "Since we do not have another meeting for an hour, mind if I leave and take this little trouble maker back home?"

Yugioh waved his hand. "Go on, your mother is probably frantic right now. Besides, I do not think the rest of us would mind a small break at all either. Just make sure you are back by late afternoon. The representatives from Cairo are coming then."

Setto snapped his fingers. "And here I thought I found a way out of the meeting." He grinned. "Do not worry, I will be back in plenty of time. I live in Memphis, not Alexandria."

Pushing his hands off the negotiation table, Yugioh stood, trying to gain the strength to move. "Alright, lets meet back here in an hour and a half. That should give us plenty of time to regroup before the representatives arrive. If anything arises that neither you Jarha nor you Bakura can handle; I will be in my father's room. I…I want to make sure he is feeling better." He gulped deep, clearly flushed. Tiny sweat beads glistened on the top of his brow. 

"Making you should rest Yugioh." Bakura said, grasping his friend's arm. "You do not look well at all."

"I am fine Bakura. I promise to you." Yugioh replied, despite feeling like he was going to collapse at any moment. The stress and anxiety was starting to get to him. Yugioh was sure things could not get any worse. Qaa was on his case constantly to be a better leader, his father was most likely dying, and of course there was Ruia.

"Do not lie to me Yugioh. I know you are not well. You have all the classic signs. Do not make me command you to bed by physician's orders for you to get some much-needed sleep. You look like you are going to pass out at any moment.  That is all we would need, both the Pharaoh and the crowned Prince ill and unable to perform their jobs. Do you know what would happen then? Setto would be in charge. I shudder to think what would happen to our civilization if that ever happened."

Bakura ducked as a red velvet pillow came at his head.

Setto smirked.  "Sorry, I do not know how that pillow flew all the way over there. It must have slipped, I swear." He replied, keeping a straight face.

"Yeah right." Bakura turned back to Yugioh, who was dragging his tired body from the room. "Go to bed Yugioh, now!" Bakura commanded, not caring that he was yelling at the Prince. 

"I will. I just want to check on father for a moment. I promise, I will rest right after. You have my word Bakura. Surely that means something right?" Yugioh turned and raised his eyes at his friend. His normal bright violet eyes had turned a dismal dull purple. He knew Bakura spoke the truth; he did need to rest and unwind. But that could not happen until he knew for sure Egypt's citizens would survive. Unfortunately, that did not look like it would be happening anytime soon. There were far too many dangers in the world to just simply relax. But Bakura was right. He was pushing himself far too hard and too quickly. He was going to break soon. 

"I would put more faith in your words if I knew for certain that you would follow your promise. I know you want to spend time with your ailing father, however, if you are getting sick as well…I just do not want you to catch what the Pharaoh has or he what you are getting. Maybe we should send for a healer for you."

"He is right Prince. Let us not over look your illness. It is probably for the best if you just relax. You can tell your father the outcome of these meeting later. He will understand that you needed to sleep. He has been in this situation thousand of times before." Jarha implored, green eyes pleading. 

"All right." Yugioh sighed. "I will go to my chambers. Just wake me when the representatives arrive." He eyed his High Priests knowingly. "You do promise to wake me?"

"Yes" Jarha replied.

Bakura coolly glanced over. "Maybe…"

Setto laughed. "Of course not. I want to run the meeting."

Yugioh shook his head and headed for his room. As much as he hated to admit it, his friends were right. He was punishing himself far too much. 'It is for the good of my civilization though. I cannot afford to slack off in any of my duties.'

He wearily took off his purple cape and placed it on the chair in his room. Shuffling over to his bed, Yugioh managed to crawl in and pulls the covers up to his chin before exhaustion settled in. No matter how much he willed sleep to overcome him, his mind continued to race.  'What if I am not good enough to be Pharaoh? What if our whole civilization collapses because I am unable to fulfill my duties? I am the Divine Father; I have to set an example for everyone. I knew there was a price for everything in a life, but is this the cost of my divinity? My health? My life?' 

Yugioh flopped over onto his stomach and buried his head into his pillow and groaned. There were just too many unanswered questions to life that he did not want to deal with. How to run his country once his father moved on. Whom he should marry when the time came. The identity of the Divine Mother was another question he had to answer. One he did not look forward too. The only thing he was really sure of was Ruia.

Smiling, Yugioh thought of the young woman that made his whole life make sense. She was his one stability.  He reached beneath his bed where he had stashed the letters from Ruia. Absentmindedly, he read through each one wishing that she could be beside him in that moment. She would be able to understand his fears, doubts, and dreams far better than anyone he knew.

Gripping the pillow tighter and tucked it under his chin, Yugioh shut his eyes firmly.  'I have to stop wishing that she could be with me forever. This is not some story that has a magical ending. This is life. Things do not happen like that in the real world.' His hand traced over the small artwork Ruia had enclosed in the last letter. It was a sketch of the two of them, lying beneath the stars.  The picture was perfect; every single detail had been taken into account, from the wind blown hair, to the folds in their outfits. But a picture did not take the place of the actual person being there. That was very different and more special. And since the times he actually had with Ruia were infrequent and rushed, he valued the time with her that much more. He snuggled deeper under his blankets. There was not one place that people, the fates, nor anything else could disrupt his time with Ruia, his dreams. There he could spend eternity with her and never have to worry about titles or status. "If only dreams could come true." Yugioh mumbled before drifting off into a peaceful sleep.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Uncle no. That is simple awful." Ruia exclaimed trying to sound surprised, but covering her mouth at the same time with her hand. She hoped she looked shocked and not guilty.  She already knew what her uncle was telling her. Setto had told her weeks before.

"It is true. The Pharaoh is dying." Ay sat down next to his niece. "You do understand the severity of the situation, do you not Ruia?"

"Of course! A man, our leader, is dying. I understand how bad that is for our civilization. Khu has been a great pharaoh. Our economy has prospered since he took the throne." She stared into her uncle's eyes. "But that is not what you meant at all is it?"

"No, but you are correct. Losing Pharaoh Khu will be difficult at best. I know his son will be a great leader as well. I am confident in both he and his chosen High Priests. I must be, I foresee that they will be coming to power soon." Ay sighed. "What I meant before Ruia, is that you will be directly involved with the Prince."

Ruia felt her cheeks flush with embarrassment. 'How did Uncle Ay find out? Ra, he must have had a vision of some sort. I am in so much trouble now. What am I going to say to him?'

"You are the Divine Mother Ruia. Though your training is far from complete, you have to be ready at a moments notice to protect the prince. It is your birthright to do so."

It took everything in Ruia's body not to sigh in relief. Ay had not guessed her secret. She closed the book that had been sitting in her lap. "Why have I not evolved in my magic? I know I am better than I was when I was ten, but should I not be, I do not know, able to do more? I was under the impression that the divinity children were the most powerful beings. That their magic was the strongest in all the lands. I only know a simple defense counter but no real strong attacks."

Ay rubbed his hands uncomfortably. "I wish I knew for sure. I can only speculate. Maybe Achilles and I have not trained you hard enough as we should have."

Ruia nodded and thought of Achilles. He too aided her in her training, since he was the temple priest at Sekhmet's shrine. "But both you and Achilles agreed. My training could not be as intense as you would have liked. If the people of Egypt were to learn that I was indeed the Divine Mother…"

"Exactly" Ay stated. "But I was thinking, another reason for your lack of magic maybe because of the Divine Father. Maybe your full potential cannot be reached until you are together."

"If that is true, then Egypt is doomed." Ruia groaned and slumped her head down into her hands.

"However, I think you biggest problem it that you have no confidence in your magic." Ay gently scowled. "Sure the divinity children are strong, but they are only as strong as their weakest link."

"In other words, I have to be strong and trust in myself and my own abilities before I can trust in my partners. Right?"

Ay nodded. "Partners, friendships are very important little Rose. Both are founded on trust. I am able to trust you and you are able to trust me. However the only way that trust is established is if you trust in yourself first."

"I understand."

"Good." He kissed his niece on the top of her head. "Enough talk of magic and divinity. How are you doing with Jarha?"

"You had to ask, did you not uncle? In everyone eyes, the relationship is going great. Father has practically adopted Jarha into our family. He brings me lavish gifts every time he sees me. We do get along well together…"

"But in your eyes?" Ay asked softly, knowing that Ruia's side was going to be very different.

"We are nothing more than friends. I do not love him. I tried Uncle Ay, really I did. It is just, I do not see him more than just a friend. Father will never understand though. You know this. He so wants me to marry Jarha. I understand why, honestly I do. But shouldn't marriages be built on love and trust as you spoke before and not on money and status?"

Ay sat and pondered his niece's question. It was tricky to answer. She had asked the one question that would make him choose sides, between his niece and brother-in-law. It did not take him long to decide. The pained look in Ruia's eyes made him choose. "Love is the answer Ruia. You are correct. No marriage should be based on anything but it. And if you know truly that Jarha is not the one for you, then you should end the relationship."

"I wanted too, since our second date. Father will not let me. I am trapped Uncle. I am being forced to marry the one I do not love!"

"You love someone else, do not lie Ruia Ana. I can see it in your eyes. Your heart already belongs to another." Ay mused watching his niece's reaction.

'Oh no. I cannot tell Uncle Ay the truth about the Prince and I. He would never understand at all.  What do I do?' She refused to let the panic she felt on the inside, reach her face. "You misunderstand my words uncle. You are correct, there is another. But I am not sure if even he is the one for me. What I meant was that I wanted the choice to find the one that makes me believe that there is no one else in the world for me. Father is not giving me that option. It is Jarha all the way."

Ay hugged his niece. "If it was not meant to be, then the fates will not allow this marriage to work."

'Since when does the fates favor me?' Ruia thought numbly. 'My soul mate is the future Pharaoh.' "I wish I had your confidence."

"I can sense that you do not wish to tell me who this other boy is that you have fallen for, so I will not push. But Ruia, you are going to have to make a very difficult choice very soon."

"I know uncle." Ruia sighed. 'But what choice do I really have? I can never be with Yugioh.'

"Trust in your heart Ruia. It will never steer you wrong.' Ay said, as if he had heard Ruia's inner thoughts.

Ruia nodded, suddenly feeling ill. When had everything gotten so complicated in her life?

"When is yours and Jarha's next date?"

"Tomorrow night. Can you not give me some homework or a test in something so I do not have to go on it?"

"You have completed everything I can hope to teach you. Besides, you are going to have to tell Jarha the truth or else be trapped in a loveless marriage."

"I know…what about Achilles?"

"Ruia." Ay warned.

"I know. I know, but I am desperate to get out of this date. I am sorry." Ruia exclaimed gathering the books she had brought.

"You'll get through it. I know it must be difficult, but you have to. It cannot be that bad."

'It is worse.' Ruia thought. "Maybe, I am not sure. I just wish he would not push as much as he does. Maybe then I could grow to love him. But the gifts, he brings them every time he comes. Flowers, when he does not. I know that sounds sweet and all, but it really creeps me out."

"You are definitely your mother's child. Non-traditional in every sense."

Ruia picked up her books. "Yeah, I guess. I will see you tomorrow morning for training." She quickly exited the room, leaving Ay to collect his thoughts.

'I do not believe you for a second little Rose. I can see it in your eyes. That other boy that you claim you like, he is more to you. You believe him to be your soul mate. And for whatever the reasons, you refuse to tell your father the truth. But the separation from your soul mate is starting to take its toll on you. You can no longer hide the pain that is in your eyes.'

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Ruia walked out of the temple, shielding her eyes from the mid-afternoon rays. 

"Good afternoon Raya. Here, allow me to carry your books."

Inwardly, Ruia cringed. "Jarha, I was not expecting to see you till tomorrow. I was sure you would be in meetings all day since the Pharaoh as taken ill."

"So you know of our leader's failing health? I should not be so surprised. You do have your ways of finding out information." Jarha stated walking besides Ruia heading towards her house. "You are correct, I do have more duties to perform. However, we are on a short break. Since I knew you were coming out of class now, I thought it would be best to meet you. Besides, Yugioh said the other day that I could have special leeway since I was courting a young woman."

'Oh Yugioh. If only you realized what you were doing to me, to us.'

"I worry about the Prince. He is not handling his father's illness very well. In fact, Bakura, the other High Priest besides Setto and myself, believes that he may be working himself into being sick. We had to force him to sleep this afternoon."

It took every ounce of strength Ruia possessed not to turn around and run to the palace and straight into Yugioh's arms to comfort him. 'Once again, I choose to go against what my heart deeply desires. It is for the best of everyone involved though.' "I wish there was something I could do for the Prince. His father has always been very good to mine."

Jarha stopped walking and stood deep in thought for a moment. "Maybe you can."

Ruia blinked. "How?"

Jarha grabbed her hand. "You could meet him. That would surly cheer up the Prince. He has wanted to meet you anyway. You have the gift to soothe and make people happy Ruia. I just know the Prince will love you!"

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Khu painfully lifted his hand to grasp his son's. He could see the crystalline tears form in the corners of Yugioh's eyes. "It will be alright my son. I know you will be able to carry on our family tradition without any trouble."

Yugioh gulped hard. "Father, do not speak like that. You will recover. You cannot pass on yet.  I…I cannot handle being Pharaoh yet. It is too soon. I am not ready. The pressure is overwhelming father. I do not want to cause the downfall of our nation. If I am to become ruler, that is going to happen. Egypt still needs you, I still need you."

"Yugioh, stop. You have been taught since the day you were born to be Pharaoh and more importantly, the Divine Father. You already have the necessary skills to be a great leader. All you need now is the confidence to step up and fulfill your rightful duty as my heir. I know you can do it my son; I have all the faith in world in you."

"Father I…"Yugioh trailed off, not knowing what to say anymore. He knew this very day would come. The day he realized that his father was not immortal. He could feel his throat tighten in sheer agony. His father could very well die and leave the throne to him. 'I knew father would pass on one day; I am not that naïve. I just never assumed it would be so soon. I need more time to grow, to gain valuable experience. I need more time with my father.'

Khu's eyes stared deeply into his son's. He could see the fear that swelled in the purple lobes. "I know you are scared my son and that is okay. I was terrified when your Grandfather passed on and I was left to rule. It is only natural to feel that way. You, all the past rulers and I are expected to lead our nation to a higher degree of greatness and respect. I understand your hesitation. I did not want this job either, however this is our birthright, our purpose in life. I will not lie to you my son. This duty of ours is not easy, as I am sure you are well aware of now. There is not amount of training that Qaa, the other High Priests, or myself could ever prepare for you.  Only experience can do that for you." Khu coughed violently. 

"Father!" Yugioh exclaimed, generally alarmed.

Khu waved his hand, signaling his song back. After a few moments the spell pasted. Taking a few deep breaths, Khu cleared his throat and spoke. "Even now you can see my body grows weaker and weaker. Death is gaining ground on my soul. There is nothing the healers, you, or anyone can do for me. I have accepted that one day soon I will pass on to the next life. Yugioh, you have to be willing to let me go. I know that will be very difficult for you, but you must."

Yugioh felt the hot tears run down the side of his face. "I do not know if I can do that father. You are the only family I have left in the world. I do want to lose you like we did mother."

"You will never lose me. I will always be with you. Granted, not in a physical sense, but spiritually I will be with you. You never have to fear that I will abandon you. That I assure you will never happen."

Yugioh wiped away his tears with the back of his hand and nodded. He could not find the words to respond to his father. There was nothing really to say, not yet at least. When the time came, there would be more to say. 'So many things I want to tell my father and yet I can do nothing more than just stand here and nod. I want to thank him for everything he has taught and given me, tell him that I will make him proud, and most of all, that I love him. But something in me hesitates. It is as if, I know that father already knows all of these things and there is no point in saying them at the moment. When the time comes, then everything shall be revealed.'

"Yugioh, go over the shelves by the window and take the large box that is on top and bring it over to me please."

Moving over to the window, Yugioh reached up and pulled down a large box. There was no decoration or anything overly special about the container. Still he broke it over to his father who was attempting to sit up partially. "Father, you must not try to sit up. You are still very weak." Yugioh moved to help his father lay back down when a hand grasped his wrist tightly.

"NO." Khu said slowly. "I will be alright for a moment. Then I will do as you ask. Just please, sit down here and give me the box."

Yugioh sat down on the edge of his father's bed. Carefully, he handed the box over to his father. It was surprisingly heavy.

"Do you have any idea what is in here?"

"I do not have to slight inkling to what it may be, but I am definitely curious now."

"Good because what is in here, I am giving to you." He opened the lid and removed the green cloth that had been wrapped around an object. Finally the cloth was removed and Yugioh could full see what it was.

"The Puzzle? You want me to have your puzzle father?" Yugioh stared at the object in awe. It was a solid gold upside down pyramid that was worn around the neck. Ever since he could recall, he had seen his father wear this very puzzle. 

"Ai, I do Yugioh. Do you know the story of this very puzzle?"

"Only a little bit. That it was given to you by grandfather and that is it."

"You are correct. My father did indeed give me this puzzle, as did his father before him. It is unclear how this puzzle truly came to be, but it has always been in the royal families possession. For some reason, we are the only people who can harness its great power. That is why I am giving it too you Yugioh. It is your duty to use and protect this power wisely, as well as guard the secrets that is hidden inside."

"What kind of secrets father?"

Khu handed the puzzle to Yugioh. "You of all people shall be able to guard the terrible power that is inside. You are the Divine Father and your powers are dark. It takes a great deal of strength and will not to be tempted by the powers that lie dormant in this golden pyramid. Do not let this power fall into enemy hands my son. For if you do, darkness will claim the earth once again."

"I do not fully understand father. What is inside the puzzle?"

"The full powers of the Shadow Games. This is where you Grandfather locked away the monsters all those years ago. Let the darkness out and terror as we have never seen will grip the world again."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ 

If Ruia had been holding her books, she was sure she would have dropped them to the ground. 'See the Prince? As much as I would love to do that, somehow I think His father Yugioh would be a tad shocked, not to much upset. I do not know how he would take it knowing that his own High Priest was courting me. There must be a way of this situation. Think Ruia, think.'

"What do you think Ruia? We could head up to the palace for a quick visit. You could meet the crowned Prince and then I could walk you home before my meeting."

Ruia gulped and turned towards the palace that loomed in the short distance. She knew full well that if she saw Yugioh, she would dive into his arms. There would be no control over that reaction, not when the heart was involved. She had to think of an excuse and quickly. "Jarha, did you not say the Prince was tired?"

"Ai my sweet, I did."

"Then maybe it is best that we postpone the meeting. I would not want to wake him, especially if he has not been sleeping well lately. Let him rest and regain the strength that he will sure need in the coming weeks." Ruia scrunched her nose at the last words. What had made her say that? 'It is as if I know something terrible is going to happen. Of course, Yugioh's father, it is just like Ay, Setto, and Jarha said. A few weeks, that is all the time the Pharaoh has, if that.'

Jarha pursed his lips together. "You are probably right. Yugioh needs to relax and sleep. I fear that he will burn out if he did not stop and slow down soon. It is best that we do not see him today. Another day we will though. I am sure he will want to meet you."

'And I he." Ruia replied trying not to show her true feelings. 'You are correct about one thing Jarha, the Prince and I do get along rather well. Of course, none one can ever learn about our meetings. Those are to stay safely hidden in my mind, only to resurface on the days I miss him the most, like today, tomorrow, and even yesterday.' She suppressed a sigh. Life just seemed to get crueler by the passing minutes.

At the entrance to her house, Ruia took back her books from Jarha. 'Be nice.' She reminded herself. "Thank you for walking me home Jarha. It was pleasant to see you this afternoon. I was sure that I would not see you till tomorrow."

"Ai yes, our date. We are still on for tomorrow?" Jarha asked.

"I would not dream of canceling it." Ruia replied. "I shall see you tomorrow then. Uncle Ay gave me some work and I need to finish it if we are to go tomorrow."

"Of course my dear. I would not want you to face behind in your studies." He gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. "I will see you tomorrow evening. Good day Ruia."

"Good day to you as well Jarha." She smiled and waited till his back was turned and scowled. Sighing she made her way inside her house. Unclipping her guardian card from her sash she flicked it into the air. "Mystic, I need to talk if you're available."

The air around Ruia shimmered and glowed brightly. "I am always around to talk to you Ruia. It is part of my job."

Ruia blinked. "Do not take this the wrong way, but do you not have a life in Armadais? Surely you have friends, a job, something other than protecting me."

Mystical laughed, her long blonde hair shaking with her laughs. "Do not worry, I am not offend by your question at all. I do have another life; I work with several other residents of Armadais in teaching magic and magic defense. But you see Ruia; I was given a very important job, to be the protector of the Divine Mother. You come first, no matter what. So what is it that you wish to converse with me?"

"It is hard to explain." Ruia sat down, back against the wall. "Was there ever a moment in your life when you wanted nothing more than to just flee from all your problems?"

Mystical sighed and thought. "When I was a younger girl, much younger than you, I was having a very difficult time with my magic. Everything spell I seemed to cast backfired. Every potion I brewed came out horribly wrong or exploded. I was convinced I was a failure. My teacher did not help any at all. He was proud of the magician he was and hated it when anyone messed up. You could say I was one of his least favorite students. I was convinced I was a failure and should not even complete my training. I was a disgrace to my family and myself. I had ever notion to leave Armadais that night and never return."

"Something must have changed your mind though because you are here with me now, a skilled spell caster."

"Ai, you can say that. See back home, our 'classes' are much like your own. We are taught in smaller, one-on-one situations. In my spell casters class, there was this boy. He was very gift in the art of magic. He noticed how troubled I was and I guess to a certain degree, knew what I was planning. After another horrible class, I managed to turn my teacher into a frog when the spell was supposed to something totally else; I had every intention of leaving and not coming back. However, after class was dismissed, the boy stopped me. He told me how he had noticed the rough spot I was in and offered to help. So everyday we met and he tutored me until I pretty much caught up to him in the art of magic. So you see Ruia, even though things look hopeless, you should never run from your problems. There may be something greater in stored for you yet. Running away never solves ones problems, rather makes them much worse."

"You're right of course. I am just frustrated. The Pharaoh is dying and Jarha tells me that Yugioh is not talking it well at all. I just cannot sit here and do nothing. It is taking every bit of strength I have not to leap up from this table and run straight to the palace and into Yugioh's waiting embrace. I want to be there for him right now and yet I cannot be. It just frustrates me." 

Mystical smiled and sat next to her protégé. "I know it does. I can sense it from you. Though you try to hide it; the stress pulsates from your body. You are going to make yourself sick if you are not careful."

"I will not make myself sick; I will find some way to come. Draw or something, I will not allow this to build up. I will vent to Anzu or something." Ruia stood and offered a hand to the Mystical Elf. "So this boy of yours, you dating?"

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Bakura walked through the hallways of the West Wing, make sure that the crowned Prince was fast asleep in his room and not out trying to find Ruia. He hadn't meant to pry into the Pharaoh's innermost thoughts, it had just happened. He was not surprised to find though that Yugioh was thinking of Ruia once again. She seemed to be his one stable thought. The one thing he could trust and count on.

Turning the corner, Bakura was so lost in his thoughts that he never noticed the person there.

"Ouch." 

"Bakura! I am so sorry. I did not see you coming. Are you all right?" Athena asked in a hurry. She gathered that cloths she had been carrying back into her arms.

"Athena! No, do not apologize. It was entirely my fault. I was too caught up in my own thoughts to see you coming. I am sorry." Bakura smiled and noticed what Athena had been carry in her arms. "Preparing for the wedding all ready Athena?"

Athena blushed, tucking a strand of her lavender hair behind her ear. "The ceremony is set for two months. I just want to be prepared for your brother. I knew we had been getting closer, but I never expected him to propose to me either. That was the greatest day of my life."

"Strange, that is the same thing my brother said as well."

"That makes me happy to hear, as well comforts me." Athena replied clutching the white cloth closer to her.

Bakura's eyes clouded over at Athena's words. "Athena, what is wrong? You are not having doubts about marrying Ryou are you? He really does love you, I assure you."

"I have no doubt in our love Bakura, but rather in your brother as a person. We are so happy together, but yet I cannot help feel that he is hiding something from me. I cannot explain it. We used to tell each other everything, but now, things are different. Bakura, Ryou is your twin. Is something wrong? Is he hiding something important from me?"

Bakura's lips drew into a thin line. 'I wish I could tell you Athena, but even I do not know for sure if Ryou is truly hiding something from the both of us. I can only speculate that darkness is starting to claim Ryou as its next victim. I wish there was some way we could save my twin but destiny must stay on its prescribed course, no matter how much I want to desperately change it. There are some things in life we cannot tamper with and this is one of those things. I can only pray to gods and goddesses above that I am doing the right thing.' Bakura forced a smile on his face. "My brother has spoken of nothing that should alarm either of us. I am sure all that you are feeling is nerves. Do not worry dear Athena; my brother loves you with his whole being. I am sure your life will be wonderful together."

"Thank you Bakura. I am sure that you are correct. It is probably just my nerves and nothing more. I better get back to my room, I have to be up early tomorrow to help prepare a morning meal for you and the representatives from Cairo. Good night."

"Good night Athena."

Bakura watched as Athena turned around the corner. As soon as she was out of sight, he buried his face into his face. 'I hate to lie to my future sister-in-law but I cannot tell her or anyone of their true destinies, not Athena, Ryou, or even Yugioh himself. No matter how much it pains me, I cannot speak the truth, no matter how bleak the future looks for all of us.'

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

A soft sob escaped the delicate lips of woman crying. She did not appear to be much older than Ruia herself. Her long tan hair that had several strands braided concealed her face.  The girl's sob increased and racked her tiny frame. Beside her laid an object. It was small and round, but too fuzzy was the image for Ruia to see totally what it was.

'I wish I could help her some way but how? She seems so sad, so lost.' Ruia sighed and moved across the sand to where the other young woman was sitting. Unsure what to do, Ruia reached out and placed her hand on the shoulder. Amazingly, her hand did not go through the girl's shoulder, as she expected. 

The older girl turned and Ruia gasped. The girl's expression reminded her so much of her own lately that it scared her. Fighting the fear she felt, Ruia sat down. "Who are you? Are you okay?"

The older girl smiled. "Do you not know who I am Ruia?"

Ruia looked over the young woman. She did not appear to be anyone she had ever met before. "I am sorry, I do not remember you. How…how do you know my name?"

"Lucky guess." The girl laughed. 

Ruia fought against the sense of nostalgia that was overwhelming her. "Are you all right? Is there anything I can do for you…sorry what was your name?"

The girl's face clouded over momentarily. "My name is Ana. And no there is nothing you can do to help me. I all ready have made my decisions in my life. I do not regret the either. Then reason why I cry is for you. You Ruia have some very important decisions ahead of you to make, do you not?"

Ruia gasped. "Are you a demon? How could you have known such things about me unless you were not?"

"No, no. I am not here to harm you. I beset you."

"I see you are being truthful. There is a great deal of power inside of you I can feel it. It is very similar to my own in fact. Are you a descendent of mine Ana?" 

"You can say that I guess. Now Ruia, you must listen to me. I know you have some very difficult choices ahead of you. The answers you seek are in your grasps, if you know where to look for them. I have the utmost faith you. When the time comes, I know you will choose the correct path." Ana stood and began to fade away.  

"Wait, I do not understand!" Ruia cried. "How do you know all this? How can you be so sure?"

"It is very simple Ruia, our lives are intertwined by destiny. You and I are one in the same."

Ruia shot up from her bed, heart pounding, sweat pouring down her face. 'Another vision, but what does this one mean? Who was that girl and why do I feel so connected to her? She said that the answers that I sought were in my grasp." Ruia groaned and fell back against her pillow. For once all she want was for one of her visions to give her a straight answer and not to speak in riddles. 'Answers that I seek are close. Could it be saying to speak with Ay or Mystical Elf perhaps? That cannot be right, I have already consulted them.  That must mean I have other options, but where? Who else can I turn too? Ra give me guidance.' Ruia snapped up. 'Of course, Sekhmet, she is the one the vision was telling me to seek. She is the one who granted me my abilities. Maybe she too holds the answers that I need.'

Jumping out of bed, Ruia moved quickly and got ready. Checking the moon in the sky, she saw she till had two hours before the morning rays graced the sky. 'Perfect. Father will never know I was gone. And since it is so late, no one will be at the temples, and maybe just maybe Sekhmet will come and grace me will her knowledge.

Wasting no time, Ruia hurried out of her house and quickly moved through the night sky towards the temple of Sekhmet. She had no fears about being attacked or robbed; she knew her divinity would protect her. Upon reaching the temple, Ruia looked up and gulped. 'It is now or never.' Quickly she ascended the stairs and walked into the temple. 

Lit Torches lined the path into the main chamber of the temple. Shadows danced off the walks as Ruia walked towards the grand chamber. Her footsteps echoed off the walls, but still she felt no fear. She felt; well, as if she was at home, like she belonged here. Finally she came into the offering and praying room. Ruia moved to the altar that was directly in front of Sekhmet and knelt down.

"Goddess Sekhmet, it is I, your child Ruia. I have come to ask you for your insight. I received a vision this morning and while I know the Goddess Shait is the guardian of destiny, I know you are the one I am to speak with. You blessed me with your gifts and gave me the ultimate honor, divinity. But I now find myself at a pivotal crossroad in my life and there is no clear direction in what I should do. I know you cannot give me all the answers that I seek, but please give me a sign or a clue of a generally direction."

A cold breeze whipped through the temple, rapping around Ruia before disappearing as quickly as it came. 

'What was that?' Ruia thought as she turned around to see if anything was behind her. There was nothing but a dark hallway. Whatever had caused that wind to come sweeping through the temple, also had extinguished the torches. 'Maybe I should leave. This is getting a little to creepy, even for me.' 

Ruia stood and turned. She ran into a solid object and fell back, landing on the stone ground. "Who, who is there?"

Ruia heard a rustle and soon all the torches around her were relit. Standing in front of her was a tall woman with golden hair that was pulled back. Her azure eyes danced with excitement and glee. She smiled softly at Ruia, her face filled with pride. Ruia did not know what to make of it. 

"Child Ruia."

"How, how did you know my name?"

"Do you not know who I am?" The woman asked, taking a seat on the floor.

Ruia looked over the woman. This was so similar to her dream, but the woman, she was different. She was at least five years old, if not more and wore a long black robe. But nonetheless, that familiar aura was there. And if she squinted, she was sure she could see a soft glow emitting from the woman. "No, it could not be. You are the Goddess of War and Protection herself, Sekhmet."

Sekhmet smiled. "I see that your insight has not failed you."

"I do not understand. Well I do, but I never expected you to truly come before me."

"You are the Divine Mother, but more importantly, my charge and my equal. I will also come and try to help you if need be."

Ruia relaxed. "Good, because I have a number of questions that I hope you can answer."

"I figured you would. You have been left in the dark about a lot of things in your life and while you are correct that I can not make decisions for you, maybe I can point you in the correct direction."

"All I want is some form of an explanation of why, when…I do not know."

"You want to know basically everything there is to know about your divinity and where that will take you in life." Sekhmet said, smiling. "I do not blame you; if the roles were reversed, I would be looking for the very same questions."

Ruia smiled. "That is basically what I want."

Sekhmet motioned Ruia to sit. "There is a lot that I can not fully explain to you for protection reasons; I hope you understand that."

"I do."

"Good. The story of the Divinity Children starts long before any one can really remember. Since the spanned of the divinity last a millennium, most people forget they even existed by the 6 or 7 generation of children. But for some reason, the legend seems to stay alive and unaltered by time which is something not even I can fully explain.

However, as the Divine Mother, you come from a long line of powerful and influential women, each strong in their own right. While you are a bit behind in your magic, you posse a will unlike one I have ever seen before. You are not easily broken or wend from your goals. That will serve you well in the near future."

"Why did you pick me though? I mean there are thousands of children in all Egypt, how did you ever choose?"

"It was not an easy task, let me assure you. I had given much consideration to many young girls, but none seemed to have the right characteristics. I wanted to make sure I choose the best possible candidate. To make a long story short, the day for the Divine Ceremony came and I still did not have a protégé. I was panicked to say the least. I knew this ceremony would be key and I could not fail. And then I felt, a twinge in my magic. It was like nothing I had ever felt before. This person, who ever he or she was, was strong, powerful. When I found out the cause was from a baby girl, I knew she was destined to be the divine mother. That child was you Ruia Ana.

You posse a great deal of magic in you. You are a student of Shait, Osiris, Ptah, and myself. Many gods and goddess have blessed you. All you have to do is believe in yourself and you will find the key to unlocking your fullest potential."

"I am a student of Osiris and Ptah as well?"

"Ai, you are. Your music and artistic talents come from my husband, Ptah. And during the ceremony, Osiris was named your mentor. If there is every a time where you cannot come to me, Osiris has agreed to be there for you. He too gave you a gift. You are able to sense a person's true intent just by looking at them, can you not?" 

Ruia nodded.

"That comes from he. Listen to those feelings daughter, there will not steer you wrong. I will always be there to guide you though if you get lost, as will your mother, your divine mother, Isis."

"That comforts me, really it does. For the longest time, I felt so alone. I could not speak to anyone about my divinity, not even my best friend. My uncle and father had no real idea what was going on, nor does my father really approve of my blessed powers. I never thought to come here and speak to all you. I never believed you would come, but after that vision I had. I had to try."

"Ai, yes the vision. Tell me Ruia, what was in this dream that worried you so much that you ventured out at night to speak with me?"

"I saw a girl, not much older than me, maybe sixteen or seventeen. She was crying and I asked what was wrong. She replied that it was nothing. She had made her decisions in life and that she was crying for me. She knew that I had important decisions to make but would not elaborate further. But before she left, she said our lives were intertwined, what ever that means."

"That is strange indeed, but still very true. You are at a pivotal point in your life. I have been watching you."

Ruia blushed a deep red. "Then you know of my situation with the Prince."

Sekhmet nodded and brushed a piece of her hair behind her head. "Ai, I do."

Cringing in fear, Ruia was sure she was going to be reprimanded.  She had a job to carry out as the Divine Mother – to protect the Pharaoh, not fall in love with him. Her mission was simple, find the Divine Father and protect all Egypt with him. So far, she had done none of that.

"I am not mad at you Ruia, not even I can be upset at you for wanting to follow what is in your heart. It is very clear to me how much you cherish the Prince and I will dare to say love him even."

"Yeah, I do love him. I definitely worked myself in a tight spot though. He is royalty and I am just a commoner. Sure I am the Divine Mother, but that does not help me with marrying Yugioh. If anything, it drives us farther apart. I am destined to marry the Divine Father. And no matter how much I wish it, that person will never be Yugioh. Meanwhile, his High Priest Jarha is courting me. Father wants me to marry him I know it. But I cannot, I could not live at the Palace with him everyday and see my one true love. The pain would be unbearable. Jarha is a sweet man Sekhmet, do not get me wrong, but I do not love him. It would be wrong of me to marry him just for political and social status. I am at such a pivotal point as you say, but with no real clear direction where to go."

'I wish I could tell you the truth Ruia that the Divine Father is indeed the one you so desperately love. And yet, I cannot. I cannot interfere with destiny like that. If your relationship is truly meant to be then nothing will stand in your way of being together as husband and wife. ' Sekhmet thought. It was difficult to continue her charade seeing how upset Ruia really was at not being with the Prince. "The Divine Father will reveal himself in time Ruia. He always does. And there is no law saying that the two of you must fall in love and have the Divine Son. His destiny and role may lie on a separate road than yours. It is not as uncommon as one would think. It has happened before and could very well happen again."

"But the Divine Son, Father, they are keys to saving our civilization, are they not?"

"Of course, but Egypt can survive without the Divine Son. You and the Divine Father can save this world without ever having a child. Do not put so much pressure on yourself Ruia. That will be your undoing."

"Am I the child all the legends speak of, the one that is destined to fall? Is that what you are saying?"

Sekhmet's eyes grew large. "You know of the dark prophecy?"

Ruia nodded, tears forming. "I am that child. I must be."

"Ruia stop. There is no guarantee that legend will come to pass. I highly doubt it is you. Though there are others that have already fallen and more that will soon follow. You remember Loki?"

Ruia shuddered. "All to well. He almost killed Yugioh that night."

"His followers have not given up his crusade to bring down the Royal Family. His minions are growing in population and strength even as we speak. The Pharaoh has not heard of the developments for they are not longer here in Memphis. They have relocated and are 'serving the Pharaoh' though that is not there real intention."

"Where are they?"

"The Valley of the Kings. Ruia you must not tell anyone what I have told you. If you do, many deaths will result from it. This private civilization is a group that the Divinity Children and their followers must handle on their own. You will know when the time is right to attack."

"How? I do not understand."

"A young man holds those answers. I cannot say."

"I understand Sekhmet. I thank you for giving me what information you could. It has provided me with several answers. Ruia paused. "You know who the Divine Father truly is right?"

Sekhmet nodded.

"I know you cannot say who this boy is, but can you at least tell me if he is safe?"

"He is well Ruia. You have no need to concern yourself there. Daughter, before I take my leave, remember one thing. You were given the gift of a sixth sense. Trust in your inner feelings. They cannot steer you wrong."

Ruia scrunched up her face and looked up to face Sekhmet. "What…?" Ruia could not believe it. Sekhmet was gone. Rising to her feet, Ruia walked slowly out of the temple, watching as the morning sun rose in the horizon. She would make it home just in time before her father awoke to find her missing. But at that moment, Ruia could care less about sneaking out. All she could think about was Sekhmet's final warning to her. 'Trust my inner feelings.' Ruia smiled. For the first time in her life, she knew what she had to do.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Yugioh stretched and pulled a long red hooded robe from his closet. 'Thank god we do not have any work to do tonight. I could not handle another minute under that pressure.' He shrugged the robe over his clothes, making sure no royal insignia could be seen. Satisfied, he reached for some money. 

"Master, where do you think you are going?"

Cringing, Yugioh turned around. "I told you to call me Yugioh. Master sounds so, I do not know, formal."

The Dark Magician suppressed a sigh. "I am sorry ma…Yugioh. Now can you please answer my question? Where are you going?"

"Out." Yugioh replied shortly. 

"You cannot. Not with your father so ill and what not." Dark's eyes softened for a moment. "Are you going to see Ruia?"

Yugioh straightened the puzzle that now hung from his neck. On second thought, he put it under the robes. It would surely give him away as the Prince. "I wish I was going to see her but I am not. Seeing her would be too painful Dark. A reminder that no matter how much I love her, I can never be with her. Reading her letters is sometime too much to."

Crossing his arms, Dark looked down worriedly at his charge. 'The depression is settling into his young heart. If something is not done soon to snap Yugioh out of this state, I fear what may happen. The darkness very well could claim him.'  "Just assure me that you are not going out alone into the town."

"Of course not. Setto, Bakura, Honda, and Jou will all be with me." Yugioh pulled the hood up over his wild hair. "I am not stupid. I realize that my role to my country has increased dramatically. I will not take foolish risks, which is why Honda and Jou are coming as well. You too. But we all needed a break tonight. The pressure, the stress, it was becoming to much for all of us."

Dark Magician stared into Yugioh's face. He was pale and clearly worn out and stressed. "A night out probably would do you a world of good. All right, we shall go." He smiled as he heard footsteps approaching. "In fact, I think we are going now." Closing his eyes, Dark returned to his home.

Yugioh laughed and moved to answer the door to his room. Standing there was four robed figures: Bakura in white, Jou in green, Setto in blue, and Honda in brown. "I wish Jarha was coming with us. We all need a break."

Honda laughed. "I do not think we have much to worry about there. Jou and I saw Jarha leave the Palace grounds on our way up here."

"I asked him where he was going and he replied that he had a date with that girl he was courting." Jou finished, flashing a smile. "I want to go and follow them. I really want to see this mystery girl of his."

Setto groaned. "Give the guy some privacy Jou. When he is ready, he will introduce all of us to her."

"No see, Honda and I have a bet going. He insists that Jarha is actually courting someone. I on the other hand, say this girl is a fake. He had never given anyone a name nor have we met her. It is a scam I tell you."

"Jou may actually have a point…for once." Setto replied dodging the smack to the back head Jou was trying to give him. "It does seem a little strange."

"See, I am not crazy Honda!"

"I would not go that far Jou." Yugioh replied, tucking his card into the pocket of his robes. "Everyone ready?"

The gang all nodded, smiles creeping onto their faces. Tonight was not about politics or peace treaties; tonight was about having fun.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

 Yugioh smiled as he and Jou maneuvered their way through the crowd. So far, not one person recognized him to be the future Pharaoh. The night had gone perfectly. It was a crisp, but still warm evening and it seemed that everyone in Memphis was out and about. Bakura, Setto, and Honda had ran to Setto's place to say hello to his baby brother while Yugioh and Jou mingled around the shops. 

"We really need to do this more often." Jou suddenly said, breaking the silence. "It is nice just to escape our everyday routine and do something I do not know different I guess."

"Ai I agree. We all need this. Honda, you, Bakura, Setto, and Jarha."

Jou ran a hand throw his hair under his hood. "You needed it most of all. I serious thought you were going to pass out during that first meeting today."

Yugioh laughed. "It was that noticeable? Oh well. The meeting still went smoothly enough thankfully. I still cannot see myself doing this everyday of my life. I will go crazy."

"Nah, Yugioh. You will not go crazy, not with the rest of us around. We can still sneak out of the palace, come here and check out all the girls."

"You never cease to amaze me Jou, never." Yugioh replied. 'I could come here and see every girl Memphis had to offer, but not one would compare to Ruia. She is perfect in every way imaginable; funny, intelligent, gorgeous, honest, and true.' She was the one person Yugioh knew he could turn to and discuss anything with. Not only would she understand him, but probably be able to relate on some level as well. His eyes swept across the town square. He settled on a young couple, probably about the same age as he. He could not tell who the man was, he had his back to him, but the girl's face was clearly in his sights. Her tan hair was swept back off her face, making her iris seem bigger and more fully of life. Her eyes danced with excitement. 'Ruia?' he thought.

Subconsciously, Yugioh started forward. Ruia was here, within his very sights. But as quickly as he moved forward, he stopped. Who was this other guy Ruia was with? She had never spoken of a brother or cousin. Just who was he? 'I have no reason to doubt Ruia's love for me. For all I know, he is nothing more than I classmate or friend of hers. Ruia would not betray our love like that. I know we said that we needed to move on in our lives, but she could not have already nor would she I think. Not after everything she has written in her letters to me.'

In the next instant, everything Yugioh held true and dear crashed around him.

The boy leaned over and kissed Ruia fully on the lips.

'Ruia, no…' Yugioh whispered. He felt his heart shatter into a thousand pieces as Ruia made no attempt to pull away. 'Everything was a lie, every last word she ever said to me.' He felt weak and nauseous. 'It was all a lie, our love, our friendship, everything. She was playing with me the entire time.' Hot tears pricked at the corner of his eyes threatening to fall. 

"Yugi? You okay?" Jou asked, genuinely concerned. His friend seemed fixated on something, but what that was, Jou had no real idea.

"I wish to return to the palace, immediately."

Jou gulped and nodded. He wasn't sure what had over come Yugioh in the past two minutes, but whatever it was, Jou knew better than to press. "All right, here come the others. I will tell them and we can leave." 

Yugioh barely heard a word. His eyes still fixated on his first true love. "Oh Ruia, how could you do this to me?" As he walked past her with the others, it took everything in him not to turn and confront her. He did not even bother to look at the guy. Just to keep walking, hurt and dejected.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Ruia broke away from Jarha's kiss utterly disgusted, but of course she could not so that on her face. Smiling, she acted as if she enjoyed every minute of it even though all she really wanted to was slap him around his face. 

'I cannot fight the feeling though that we are being watched however.' She turned around and her eyes settled on a group of robed boys. She felt a strong pull to the one in red. 'That is weird; it is as if I know him some how. But that is just ludicrous. Still though, I sense a deep hurt from him, as if he has lost the will to live.' Ruia shuddered and turned back around to face Jarha. Forcing a smile back on her face, she continued her date with Jarha. But one thought echoed through her head.

Oh Yugioh, I will it was you that I was here with and just kissed. Not he. I am so glad you cannot see any of this.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Yugioh stormed into his room, anger plastered on his face. "How dare she use me like that! She will pay dearly for ever trying to fool me."

But even as he spoke the words, he knew he could never publicly humiliate Ruia like that. After everything he had seen, he still loved and cared for her deeply. "You are such a fool Yugioh. She never cared about you, not once. It was all just a big game to her, nothing more.'

Grapping some paper, Yugioh started writing. The pen moved quickly across the paper. He needed answers and he was bound and determined to get them.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

  Ruia was jolted from her sleep when someone pounded on her door. 

'That sounds urgent.' Ruia thought as she slipped out of bed and room. Moving to answer the door, she saw Honda standing there.

"Honda! What are you doing here so early? Do you have another letter for me?"

Honda did not respond, rather glared and handed the letter to Ruia. 

Ruia shivered, despite herself. She could not understand why Honda was acting so coldly towards her. Normally the two of them were laughing and joking like old friends. Never had it been like this.

"Honda, what is wrong?"

Honda's eyes narrowed. "Oh like you do not know. Ruia do not even bother coming by the Palace grounds anymore. You are not welcomed." With that, he turned and walked away.

Ruia reeled back in shock. 'What is going on?' She quickly closed the door and moved to her the letter. Ripping it open, Ruia refused to believe what was written.

Ruia,

I see now what I fool I have been. I must admit you are pretty good at deceive people. I never thought that you could be so cold and cruel to make a person think you truly loved them, but I guess I was wrong there. I opened my heart to you Ruia Ana and you did not nothing but crush it. I had ever notion to come public with our friendship but for some odd reason I cannot do that to you. I am not cold and heartless like you. So I guess there is only one think left to say.

_There was a time when I was sure._

_That you and I were truly one_

_That our future was forever_

_And would never come undone_

_And we came so close to being close_

_And though you cared for me_

_There's distance in your eyes tonight_

_So we're not meant to be_

_When love is gone_

_When love is gone_

_The sweetest dream_

_That we have ever known_

_The love is gone_

_The love is gone_

_I wish you well_

_But I must leave you now alone_

_There comes a moment in your life_

_Like a window and you see_

_Your future there before you_

_And how perfect life can be_

_But adventure calls with unknown voices_

_Pulling you away_

_Be careful or you may regret_

_The choice you make someday_

_When love is gone_

_When love is gone_

_The sweetest dream_

_That we have ever known_

_The love is gone_

_The love is gone_

_I wish you well_

But I must leave you now alone

_It was almost love_

_It was almost always_

_It was like a fairytale we'd live out_

_You and I_

_And yes some dream come true_

_And yes some dreams fall through_

_And yes the time has come for us to say goodbye_

_Yes some dreams come true_

_Yes some dreams fall through_

And yes the time has come for us to say goodbye

Goodbye forever,

Yugioh

Ruia gripped the letter tightly in her hands, tears racking through her body. She was not sure what had happened, but something obviously had. 'I lost him. I lost Yugioh.'

Tears continued to pour down her cheeks. Wiping away the tears from her eyes, Ruia read the note one last time. "I've lost him. Damn you Jarha, I know you had something to do with this, but so did I. I should have told him the damn truth and now he is gone. Forever."

 Ruia stared at the last line on the note for the rest of the day. 'Goodbye to you too Yugioh. I will never forget you, ever.'

**Q and A**

**Lori Kimaya – **It took a lot of talent to catch the water on fire according to my teacher because all I did was throw a used match into tap water. Next thing I know, the whole thing is flaming up. And people wonder why I drink bottled water.

**Tea Gardner – **Soon, that is all I am going to say.

**Melody Hoshi Sugar **– I pled plot hole now, lol

**Cettie – girl** – Bakura knows some things, but not everything. He knows Ruia is greatly important, but not sure how.

And I promise, I will try to update much much faster this time!


	9. Age Fourteen: Destiny's Scheme, part two

Disclaimer: I do not own Yugioh, just Ruia. Also, the song "If your not the one" belongs to Daniel Bedingfield. (if you have the song, I recommend playing it when the time comes) 

I forgot to mention this last chapter, "When Love is Gone" is Martina McBride's song as well from the Muppet Christmas Carol Soundtrack. 

Anya: In the immortal words of Raya: "I either have to stop breaking promises or making them." 

I'll go with the latter. Between schoolwork, writer's block, and other issues, it is hard to get a chapter out a week or have any time of schedule; I apologize. But do not fear; I will get newer chapters out as fast as I humanly can.   
  
All right, enough of my excuse. I hope I do not disappoint anyone with this chapter. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ 

Anzu strolled along the riverbank of the Nile River with Setto walking beside her. It had been weeks since she had last seen her boyfriend. Grinning, she held Setto's hand in her own. The afternoon had been perfect. A light picnic by the backs of the Nile followed by a stroll along the river itself. Never had then been a more perfect afternoon than the one she was experiencing at this very moment. Anzu turned and grinned at Setto. 

His eyes sparkled in amusement as Anzu smiled warmly at him. Despite feeling as happy as he did, a little cloud of gloom seemed to permanent settle over his mind. Still smiling, Setto tried to hide his truest feelings…he was scared and guilty. Scared because he knew for a fact that he loved Anzu, not that that was a bad thing. What made him feel horrible was Yugioh's situation. 'I still cannot believe what Ruia did to Yugioh. It does not make sense. She loved him, I am as sure of that as I am my own name. What happened though? And if Ruia is as evil as it seems, how will this affect Anzu's and mine own relationship? The two girls were raised together practically. Does this mean Anzu knew what Ruia was plotting this entire time?' 

"Setto? Are you okay?" 

"I am fine." Setto replied snapping out of his thoughts. "Did you say something?" 

"I was just asking how the others were. Ruia has not mentioned anything about Yugioh in the last few days. She has seemed rather distracted the last week. Anytime I have mentioned him to her, she gets real quiet and pain fills her eyes. Setto, did something happen to Yugioh that I am not aware of?" Anzu asked, stopping and gazing up into Setto's eyes. 

Setto's mouth hung partly open, it had to be. 'Ruia did not tell her. I thought the two girls were the best of friends. If Ruia kept something like this from Anzu, then how much else do we really know about Ruia? Anzu could not have known that Ruia was playing with Yugioh's heart. She just confirmed it herself. "You do not know?" Setto asked just to make sure that Anzu was not trying to fool him. 

"Know what?" Anzu replied her voice thick with anxiety. What ever Setto knew, it sounded serious. 

'She had no idea what I am talking about,' Setto could see it in her eyes. 

"Is something wrong with Ruia and she did not want to tell me? Or is there is something wrong with Yugioh?" 

Setto raised his hands and place them gently on Anzu's shoulders. "Relax. Yes the news I have deals with both Yugioh and Ruia, but not in the way you think. Neither one is dying nor are they in any serious trouble." Setto took a deep breath. "They broke off their friendship, for good." He braced himself for Anzu's reaction. She blinked her blue orbs not once, but twice before breaking out into laughter. 

"Very funny Setto. No seriously, what happened?" She stared at Setto's face and watched as the truth in his words settled in his features, the narrow lips, and the gloom filled eyes, all of it. "No, it must be a lie. They loved each other too much suddenly call their friendship off like this. They were each other's stabilities I thought. I do not understand at all. Tell me, what happened?" 

'She does not know what a lying, manipulative person Ruia really is. Wow, she really did have everyone fooled.' Setto mused silently. "Anzu, how well do you know Ruia? I mean; do you really know her?" 

"Ruia and I were practically raised together. Our parents have known one another since their childhoods. We have done practically everything together. She is not just my best friend Setto; she is my sister as well, maybe not through blood, but definitely by choice." 

"What if I was to tell you that Ruia has been keeping a dark secret from all of us, besides her break up with Yugioh I mean?" 

Anzu laughed. "Ruia? Keep a secret? You must be thinking of someone else. She is physically unable to do such a certain thing. Ruia would have to tell someone something." 

"She did not tell you about her breakup, right?" Setto asked softly. He led Anzu over to some rocks and sat down, pulling her into his embrace. "Anzu, the reason why Yugioh broke up with Ruia, ended their friendship, she was cheating on him. He saw her kissing another man in town. She was leading him on and…" 

WHACK 

Setto's head snapped back from the force of Anzu's slap. His eyes widen in surprise. He never realized what strength the petite girl actually posed. 

"How dare you speak so ill about my best friend?" Anzu felt her temper rise, the words spilling out sharp and cold. "She would never use Yugioh like that. She loved him far too much. LOVED him Setto. I cannot believe you would think otherwise. You've seen them together, how happy she was. I cannot believe any of this. Did Yugioh at least ask Ruia what was going on? Please tell me he did that much for the girl he supposedly loved with his whole heart." 

Setto gulped. "He wrote the breakup letter right after he saw Ruia. He never asked for her side of the story, nor really wanted it. Ruia never offered hers either." Setto ducked after Anzu's glare to his words. "Please do not hit me. I am only the messenger." 

Anzu shook her head. "I should have known. Both are too stubborn to admit the truth. Ruia never mentioned that she was being courted did she?" 

"She is being courted?" Setto exclaimed. 'I know Yugioh never mentioned that one to me.' 

"Yes by a man in Memphis. His name…" 

"Why did Ruia never mention him?" Setto interrupted generally confused. "I mean that is major news here. Yugioh had the right to know." 

Anzu shrugged. "Ruia does not agree this arrangement at all. Her father is forcing her into it. She would rather die than to marry this boy. Her heart belongs to one person and one person only, Yugioh. She knows that she could never marry him, but yet the girl is stuck on following her heart." 

"Then why did she not mention this courting before?" 

"They are friends Setto, not boyfriend and girlfriend. It is not like Ruia was cheating on him or anything." Anzu responded, her temper rising. No one accused her friend of such deceit. "She never mentioned him to Yugioh probably because she did not want to hurt him. Do you know how hard it was for Ruia to accept that she could never be with the Prince? She cried herself to sleep night after night. If you could have only seen the personal hell Ruia had put herself through, you would not begin to doubt the love Ruia has in her heart for Yugioh." 

"Anzu…." Setto sighed. "Yugioh feels the same way, has acted the same as well. He just felt betrayed, that is all." 

"I can understand that. Ruia would have reacted the very same way. Ra, why is the fates so cruel to them Setto? It is obvious they are made for each other in every way imaginable except one." 

"Social standings." He finished. "Yes I know." Setto moaned. 'If only they were born into another time, maybe then society would have accepted their love with open arms. Instead, Ruia and Yugioh are trapped here, in this time, forced to watch each other from a distance. Never allowed to act on the love they feel so deeply for each other. Rather, they must see the other move on with someone else and be unhappy with then just because they could not be together. Life could not get any crueler than that.' 

"Setto what are you thinking about? You are so quiet all of a sudden." 

"They deserve to be together Anzu, even if it is only a friendship." 

"Setto, what are you suggesting?" 

"We are going to get them back together." 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ 

"No who can that be?" Ruia murmured as she moved to answer the door. She did not mind the break from her magic studies, Uncle Ay had her memorizing ancient spells but so far it appeared that Ruia possessed no strong spell casting abilities. Shaking her long tan hair back, she pulled in back into a lose knot and opened the door. "Anzu? What are you doing here? I thought you were spending the day with Setto." 

Anzu brushed past her friend, not saying a word. She moved into the paler room and promptly sat down. Narrowing her blue orbs slighting, she finally spoke. "Well…?" 

Ruia blinked. She could feel the confusion etch onto her face. "Well what Anzu? You are going to have to explain to me what well means because I have not the faint idea what you are asking." 

Anzu huffed. "When were you going to tell me about Yugioh, Ruia? Do you know how much it hurt to hear news like that from Setto and not my best friend? I thought we could trust each other more than that." 

"I do trust you Anzu, really" Ruia stated, lowering her eyes from Anzu's glare. "It…it just hurt so much to think about, to talk about. I messed up Anzu. I should have told Yugioh the truth once I realized that father was going to force me to marry Jarha. I was scared though. If I wed Jarha, do you understand I will be living in the Palace? I will have to see my one true love every waking moment and feel the pain of not being in his very arms, protected from the harsh realities of life. Rather we will be forced to act like there is no connection between us and pretend that we do not want to run and stay in each other's arms. That is why I never said anything, to anyone. It was a distant future that I did not want to accept. But you know what, once again I have to give up what I want in my life and follow what my father, my fellow citizen's, and country wants. Well you know what Anzu, I am sick of it. If I cannot be with Yugioh, then maybe it is best that we are not even friends because at least then the pain is not as hard to deal with. I will no longer cry myself to sleep because there is no future with him, not even as friends so why should I get upset?" Ruia laughed. "In fact Yugioh and I are probably both better off forgetting one another. We were both just young children caught up in a thrill of trying to deceive everyone. The phase has past, we will probably mean nothing to one another in a couple weeks."   
  
"Ruia you cannot possibly mean that. I know Yugioh means more to you than what you are saying. You may be able to sit there and lie to your friends and maybe even yourself to an extent, but you can never change what you feel in your heart. So I am challenging you to say to me what you just did again, but this time look me in the eyes when you do it. Only then will I ever believe you that you have no feelings towards the prince anymore." 

Gulping, Ruia raised her eyes to meet Anzu's. She could see the set determination sparkling in the blue iris. Her breath caught in her throat as she choked out the words. "I…I have no feelings…" Ruia's confidence broke. "I have no feelings but love for him." A single crystalline tear rolled down her face. 

"Ruia…"Anzu whispered, fighting back her own tears. She knew Ruia was lying. "Why did you say all that before? I do not understand." 

Ruia played with the star arm bracelet that she still wore around her arm. "No, I suppose you would not. Your relationship with Setto is more readily accepted." Ruia bit her lip. "It was just easier to face every day if I kept telling myself that what I felt for Yugioh was nothing more than a silly little crush. I guess I just did not want to admit that some where along the line I forgot Yugioh's and mine's promise to one another. We said that we would never be anything more than friends to one another. And one day, I just naively ignored that pact and believed that Yugioh was my boyfriend, still well aware that we could never be together. So when the break up letter came, it hurt more than I can describe. But I cannot blame Yugioh for his actions at all. I should have faced the truth long ago and told him about Jarha. I just could not hurt him like that. I know it would have killed him. I…I guess Setto knows the truth now eh?" 

Anzu shook her head. "He only knows that you are being courted by a man from Memphis. He never gave me a chance to give him Jarha's name. But from the look on your face, that very well may be a good thing." 

"Of course it is. I will tell Yugioh the truth, but I want to be the one who does it. He deserves that much from me at least. Of course, no matter how he gets the news, he will not take it well. His own High Priest is courting me. Though after his letter, I doubt he cares very much." 

"Can I see the letter?" Anzu asked softly. She was not sure how Ruia would react to seeing the letter again. 

"Yeah I do not mind. It is concealed in my room. I will go get it now." Ruia stood and exited into her room. She appeared moments later note grasped firmly in her hands. Trembling, Ruia handed it over to her best friend. Sighing, she sat back down and refused to look Anzu in the eyes anymore. If she did, Ruia knew the tears of angst and betray would finally surface. She had been fighting back the sobs the entire conversation, only allowing the occasional tear here and there to fall. But now, she was dangerously close to having a breakdown. 

Anzu opened the scroll and read through it twice before she was able to speak. "I will kill him. How dare he say such things about you before he knows what really happened. I fear the day he takes over if he is so quick to judge you like this." Anzu clenched the letter tighter. "I cannot believe him. Boys make me so mad sometimes." 

Ruia chuckled. "I guess I better warn Setto about that." The smile quickly fell from her face. That is, if he will ever talk to me again. Honda, Setto, and Yugioh all want nothing more to do with me. I betrayed their confidence." 

"Ruia, stop. You did not betray them in any way shape of form. Yugioh knew that eventually you two would have to move on with your lives. That gives him no justification to attack you like he did." Anzu brushed a piece of her hair behind her shoulder. 'No wonder Ruia did not want to talk about that night, talk about destroying someone you supposedly love. I know Yugioh must have been hurt, but he should have at least attempted to learn the truth before demoralizing Ruia. He needs a good smack to the back of the head as well. Though Ruia could probably have much more fun with her magic.' Anzu smirked. That would be funny to watch. 

"I do not know, maybe you are right. It is just…I miss him so much Anzu. I do not care that it has only been a few days. I miss getting letters from him; I hate knowing that I can never see his smiling face or gorgeous eyes. But I have no one to blame but myself. I should have been honest with him from the beginning." Ruia broke her knees up to her chin and rest her arms on top. 

"Maybe, maybe not. You were just trying to protect Yugioh. I can understand that. Write him another letter. I'll give it to Setto when I see him again. He will give it to the Prince I just know it. Please Ruia, it will make you feel better about everything." 

Ruia sighed. "What good will the letter accomplish? Yugioh will just throw out the letter or assume I made up some lame excuse." 

"Ruia, do you love him?" 

"What kind of question is that?" 

"Just answer it." 

"With my whole heart and soul." Ruia replied shortly. 

"Give up everything just to be with him, if only for a moment in time?" 

"Without a moments hesitation. I would do just about anything to be in his arms again." 

Anzu smiled. Those were the responses she was looking for. "Then how can you say my dear friend that writing a letter will accomplish nothing when Yugioh obviously is your world, your soul mate, your stability?" 

Ruia blinked at Anzu's words. "You really think we are soul mates?" 

Anzu chuckled. "I have never seen to more compatible people in all my days Ruia, not even my parents come close to the level of respect and love you and Yugioh once had. Why do you ask?" 

'The Divine Father is supposedly my one true love, but yet even Anzu feels as I do. That no one but Yugioh is made for me. He understands me in ways I never dreamed possible. He loves me for who I am and does not want me to change. Maybe I did give up too quickly. Sure, this will complicate my life later down the road, but I am willing to take that risk. Yugioh is far too important to me to suddenly stop loving him. I will not let that happen. I will go to the palace if I have too to make him understand what happened that night. Convince him that he is the only person that I will ever truly love. Forget Jarha and the Divine Father, they could never make me feel like Yugioh does. He is the one I want.' Ruia smiled. 

"Ruia, I asked you a question. Are you okay?" 

"Sorry, I was just thinking. I never really thought about Yugioh actually being my soul mate Anzu, but now that I have…" Ruia stood. 

"What are you planning?" Anzu asked with a wicked grin. 

Ruia turned and smirked. "I am not sure yet, but I do know this much. I am going to get Yugioh back." 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ 

Setto jogged up the path leading to the palace. He could not run fast enough though. Every second he took, the more depressed his best friend got. He had to tell Yugioh the truth about Ruia. 'I just hope I can make him understand that what he saw was a misunderstanding. Ruia did not tell him that she was being courted for a reason; she was protecting him. She did not want to see him hurt or face the reality that they could never be together. But can I convince him of that?' 

He reached the main gates of the palace and was shocked to see that no guard was posted outside. 'That is weird. Where is Honda or Jou? Normally one is on duty out here.' Shaking the confusion out of his head, he moved through the gates. He would get his answers inside. 

"Setto! Thank Ra you are back. We thought you would never return!" 

Setto stopped running as Bakura and Jarha quickly approached him. From the panicked and sorrowful expressions each wore on their faces, he knew something must have happened. "Bakura, Jarha what is it? What happened?" 

Bakura lowered his eyes. "It's the Pharaoh, Setto." 

"He's dying. Sepi is giving him another couple hours, if that. Everything is shutting down." Jarha added. 

"Yugioh, where is the Prince?" Setto's mind raced. 'The Pharaoh cannot die yet. Yugioh is not in the right state of mind to take over. Dear Ra, do not take Khu away, not just yet." 

"He is in with his father, paying Khu his last respects." Bakura sniffed. "We have to be ready for when Yugioh comes back out. We all know what state he will be in." 

"Of course." Jarha agreed. "He is going to be completely devastated. I just wish there was something we could do to make the Pharaoh well again. Spare the Prince this pain." 

Setto felt the tears of agony and distress creep to the surface. The time had finally come. Khu was going to die, leaving all them in charge of Egypt. He was not ready for this type of responsibility. And by looking at Bakura and Jarha, they were not either. Yugioh was far from ready. His father was single-handedly the most important person in his like. To lose him now, after everything that was going on…. Setto knew the depression was going to claim the young prince. He had to do something, they all did. "Where are Sepi and the other High Priests?" 

"Outside Khu's chambers. Why?" Jarha asked, genuinely confused. 

Setto turned. "I have to talk to them, make sure there is nothing more we can do." He started for the entrance, only to be held back. 

"There is nothing more we can do Setto. The time has come. We have to accept that and be ready to help Yugioh through all of this. He is going to look to you most of all though. You are his best friend and chief advisor. You are going to have to be strong for him and not just now either. Yugioh is going to turn to you for many opinions on numerous topics. I know that will be hard, but we all must find a way to do it." Bakura stated, not once removing his hand from Setto's arm in fear the irrational man might do something they all would regret later. 

"Bakura, I am not sure I can do that. I am not ready, it is too soon." 

"We all knew this day was coming. You, Jarha, Yugioh, and myself all knew that one day we would inherit all these responsibilities. Unfortunately my friend, the time had come." 

Setto felt a tear roll down his face. "You are correct, Bakura. The time has come." He took a deep breath. "I…we can do this. All of us." 

Jarha nodded. "And our first task will be to console Yugioh, and I fear that will be no east challenge. I can only imagine the pain he is going through. It must be overwhelming. But I vow to be there for him at anytime until he has come to terms with his grieve." 

Bakura nodded. "As do I." 

"Then let us go inside and accept our destiny." Setto replied. "We should be inside when the news comes of the Pharaoh's passing." He started once more for the entrance, not caring if Jarha or Bakura followed. 'I promise you Yugioh, when the time is right, I will tell you about Ruia. Maybe that bit of news will give you some type of comfort. Though I doubt very much that it will.' Setto sighed. 'Maybe the gods and goddesses will favor us today and let the Pharaoh live just a little more.' 

As he thought the words, Setto knew there was no chance in them coming to pass. The Pharaoh was going to die, and he just prayed Yugioh had the will to live himself afterwards. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ 

Dark linen had been draped across the windows, blocking any light from entering the room. Two small light candles were the only source of light visible, placed on each side of a large bed. There were no sounds, except for the occasional sniffing from a figure hidden in the safety shadows. The room was chilled, as if death itself was present, waiting for the right moment to strike its victim. 

"It…It will…be alright…my son." Khu painfully whispered desperate to shield Yugioh from the harsh reality that was looming over all of them. 

Yugioh stepped forward, allowing the thin source of light to etch across his tear streaked face. "Father…" 

Khu lifted his arm weakly and held his son close as Yugioh dove into the embrace. He could feel his son's hot tears roll down Yugioh's face and drop onto his shoulder. Khu wanted nothing more than to take away his only child's pain away, but he could not. Instead, he held his son, allowing him to cry. Salty tears of his own sorrow threatened to fall, but Khu knew that he needed to be strong one last time for Yugioh. "Yugioh, we both knew this time would come. I understand how difficult this is to let go, but we must." He choked out agonizingly. 

For the first time in his life, Yugioh forgot his training. He did not care right now. He let his emotions show. "Father you cannot leave me not just yet. I still have so much to learn and you still have so much left to teach me. I am scared. I do not know if I am ready to be Pharaoh. I can never be as great of a leader as you or grandfather ever was. I still need you father. Please do not leave me." More tears fell, faster. Yugioh could no longer control them. Cries racked through his frame causing him to shake with the realization that his father would not be with him much longer. The time had come for him to say everything, there was no tomorrow, only right then.   
  
"You will be a fine leader." Khu broke off as a sudden coughing fit claimed him. His breathing became labored and his skin paled further. "I do not have much longer my son, I can feel it. There are so many things I wish I could just tell you, longed for so many days now, and know when the moment has come, I find that the words are not just there. Just know that I am always watching over you and could not be more proud. I know I am leaving Egypt in capable hands. You are Divine Father, my son, but more importantly than all that, you are you. I have no doubts that you will make a farther better ruler than I ever was, divinity or not. You will be just fine." 

Yugioh cries softened for a moment. "How will I be fine if you are gone father? I am not willing to let you go just yet. You have to fight. Please." 

"I have fought all I can, now it is your turn to accept control. I know you are scared and I cannot blame you for I would be too for taking the throne at such a young age. But you do not have much to fear. You have Setto, Bakura, Jarha, Qaa, Sepi, and Zemti if you need them. You have your guardian. And of course, you will always have me. I can never leave you, not even death can do that." 

"I understand Father." He took a deep breath and tried to control the river of tears that flowed freely down his face. "I accept my destiny. I will do everything in my natural and blessed abilities to make you proud. You have my word. I just wish you could be with me physically longer. However, I do not want you to suffer either. All my life, you were always there for me, putting my needs before your own. I can no longer let you do that…" Yugioh stopped to regain his composure. "I understand if you want to leave. If you are in that much pain, then it is okay. I do not want you to fight on my account anymore. I do not want to see your suffering. I love you too much for some selfish wish like that. Just know that I will always miss you and that I love you Father. More than words can describe." 

Khu coughed and brought his arms around his son tighter to strengthen his hold. "And I love you too my son." His voice was weak and fading. "I will always love you." 

Yugioh sobbed harder into his father's shoulder, no longer able to say anything. A few minutes later, Yugioh pulled back out of the embrace. Kissing his father's forehead, he moved to extinguish the candle on the left side, then the right. Taking one last glance at his father, Yugioh opened the bedroom chamber doors. 

Everyone was standing there, Honda and Jou included. Yugioh paid no attention to any of them and move over to Setto. 

As if Setto knew, he opened his arms and held his friend tight. 

Sobs racked through Yugioh's body, his wails echoing off the walls of the great palace. 

Seto lowered his head in mourning. Though Yugioh never spoke, he knew the truth. The Pharaoh was dead. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ 

Ruia stood outside the Palace gates fighting back the tears that had been threatening to fall since she had learned the horrible news. Her father stood next to her, holding her tightly as they waited for the new Pharaoh to exit the Palace with his High Priest to lead the burial procession down to the Nile. 

'I hope Yugioh is all right. This has to been so painful for him. I just wish there was something I could do for him, but at last, there is nothing. Yugioh will have to conquer these demons on his own; he does not want my assistance anymore.' Ruia thought as she tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. Numbly she ran a hand over the armband Yugioh had given her. Even though she and Yugioh had stopped speaking to one another, Ruia found herself unable to take the piece of jewelry off. 'Maybe I am just fooling myself that he still loves me. I know he did once, this arm bracelet is proof of that, maybe once I explain everything…' Ruia sighed. There was no hope of a reunion. She had destroyed whatever friendship she hoped to have with Yugioh with her decent. And now, with the death of the Pharaoh, Ruia knew this would not be the time to discuss it either. 'I am probably as far off Yugioh's minds as humanly possible, not with everything that has happened to him.' 

Suddenly, the front gates opened. Yugioh stood there, tall and proud, however the grief threatened to overwhelm him. It looked as if he had not slept in days, his skin was puffy under the eyes as if he been crying right up to the moment the gates had been opened. Next to him, Ruia could see Setto whispering to another man, whom Yugioh had told her was his second High Priest Bakura. Jarha was next to Bakura, keeping a watchful eye on the crowd that had gathered. Behind them, was the coffin of the late Khu. The oxen moved slowly as they moved the sled, heading for the Nile where the body would be sailed to the Valley of the Kings. As the procession moved forward, Ruia and her father walked silently beside the once great Pharaoh and his family. 

Ruia fought the impulse to run over to Yugioh as she saw the tears rack through his frame. 'Oh Yugioh…' She was not sure what was more painful, knowing that she could never be with Yugioh again, or seeing him so lost without his father. Tears fell from her eyes in sorrow. There was nothing she could do but silently walk with the progression down to the banks of the Nile. 

Setto and Qaa read passages from scrolls, but Ruia paid no attention to the two men, rather concentrated on her once friend, hoping he could feel her presence and be comforted. 'Wishful thinking there.' Still, she could not tear her gaze away. 

"Poor Yugioh, I can only imagine the pain he is going through right now." Sugoroku whispered to his daughter. 

"Ai, it must be overwhelming." Ruia replied. She wiped away a tear. "Do…do you think he will be alright?" 

Sugoroku sighed and wondered how to answer his daughter's question. "In time, Yugioh will be alright, however these next few weeks are going to be a real test for him, of strength, character, and will. But with the others around him, I am sure he will overcome his father's death." 

'I wish I could be as confident as you are father, however, I cannot. I can see the truth by the way Yugioh moves, the depression is threatening to overwhelm him. He thinks he is hiding it, but at last, the Prince is not. ' Ruia thought sadly. 'If only there was something I could do…" 

She bit her lip in agony. There was nothing she could do; she was a commoner. 'What?' Ruia thought as she watched a girl from the back of the procession move to the front, linking her arm through Yugioh's and leaning her head on his shoulder. The girl whispered something and tossed her black hair over her shoulder. Yugioh gave a small smile and nodded his head back. 

Pain ripped through Ruia's soul. 'No! It cannot be. Yugioh would not have, could not have…."she trailed off. Obviously, Yugioh did not need her as much as she needed him. He had already found someone to take her place. 'Maybe what we felt was not love at all, rather the thrill of doing something unaccepted by society.' Dimly she removed the arm bracelet off her arm and stared at it. 'Two stars intertwined by fate, shattered by the fading of the light.' Gripping the bracelet tighter in her hand, she moved and placed it in her sash. 'I guess this is truly goodbye Yugioh. I hope you find the happiness you seek with that girl.' 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ 

'How much more can the fates possibly throw at me?' Yugioh thought numbly as he exited the palace grounds, heading the procession down towards the Nile. He fought against the tears that had been overwhelming him moments before. Now was not the time to be weak, he had to show his people that he could be strong. His people. 'I give it all up just to have my father back, healthy and alive.' Yugioh lowered his head. There was no point in wishful thinking. There was nothing he could do, for his father or himself. His whole world had crashed around him and he wasn't sure he would be able to put the pieces back together. 

Behind him, he could dimly hear Qaa and Setto read religious passages and the oxen grunt as they pulled his father's coffin. He could hear the slaves carry his father's belongings as well. Jarha and Bakura were right behind Setto walking slowing with Sepi and Zemti. Athena was somewhere back there too, but not one of his friends could heal the overwhelming amount of pain he was feeling. 

"Are you all right?" a voice whispered soothingly in his ear. 

For a brief moment, Ruia's name echoed in his head, but he knew that was foolish thinking. He glanced downward to see Satire standing there, linking her arm through his and gently rubbing his hand. 

Yugioh gave a small smile. "I will be all right." 

Satire returned the smile. 'Of course you will be fine Yugioh; I have every intention of making sure of that. Anything you wish for, desire, I will gladly fulfill. A shoulder to cry on, someone to talk to, a Queen to rule by your side, I am there for you. I will have you as my husband Yugioh.' She laid her head on his shoulder, holding his hand tighter. 

Yugioh smiled, grateful for a friend at the moment. He could not deny the tug at his heart though. His whole being wished that the one leaning against him were Ruia and not Satire. 'She betrayed you, used you. You are far better off without her in your life. She lied to you, manipulated. Stop it Yugioh. Forget her, you have more important things to worry about, your father's death, running this country, and finding the Divine Mother.' 

Still his eyes lingered over the crowds in search of the one he tried so hard to forget. Finally he spotted her, nearly parallel with him just off to the side walking slowly next to a man that he guessed had to be her father. They were only a few feet apart, but never had he felt further from the one he loved. 'She betrayed you. Forget her.' Still his eyes could not move her figure. She had her face down, not looking at anything but her feet. She moved suddenly to take something off her arm and place it inside her sash. She raised her eyes back towards him. For a brief moment, their eyes locked on, but just as quickly parted. 

"Yugioh?" 

Yugioh snapped out of his daze. "Sorry Satire. My mind is just wandering right now. Did you say something?" 

"It was unimportant your highness." Satire smiled softly. "I know you must be thinking of the past right now. It is okay you know, to show emotion." She hugged him gently. 'Like love my dear Pharaoh. Soon, I will have you all to myself.' 

"Thank you Satire, you are too kind." Yugioh continued to stare off. Maybe the key to getting over Ruia is standing next to me. Satire seems genuinely concerned about him. So then why did it feel like such betrayal to his feelings then? 

"I will always be there for you Yugioh, you do not have to worry about that. If you want, I will stay with you during the burial and the feast later." 

Yugioh stole another glance at Ruia. "That would be wonderful Satire, thank you, for everything." 

"Of course Yugioh." Inwardly, Satire smiled. Everything was going as planned. It was only a matter of time now before she had Yugioh completely under her spell. 'Soon my dear Pharaoh, I will make you forget all that troubles you. Do not worry. This is destiny's plan for the both of us.' 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ 

Yugioh sat and stared out his window. One month had passed since his father's death. And so far, nothing he had done had taken away any of his pain. The burial procedure had been almost too difficult to watch. His father had joined his grandfather as well as their other descendents in the temple of the great kings. His father's death marked the seventeenth pharaoh buried there. He would be the final one, number eighteen to be buried there when the time came. 

'I still can not believe he is gone.' Even though he had a month to get over the initial shock, he found that he could not. The darkness and sadness was overwhelming. The grieving period was still going on for another forty days and he knew right at that moment, it would not be enough for him. How did anyone expect him to be ready to move on with his life after just seventy days? It was impossible. He had lost his father for Ra's sake. The last of his family, one did not easily accept that. 

Dejectedly, he brought his knees up to his chin and rested his head on them. The moon rose high in the night sky casting a dim light throughout the valley. Nothing seemed right in his life anymore. His father was gone, forever. And no matter how hard he tried, Ruia never seemed far off his mind. He simply could not get over her; it was impossible. 

Gazing at the nighttime sky, Yugioh found himself drifting back to night he spent under the stars with Ruia. The moment had been wonderful and it was that very night he realized how much he truly loved her. Holding her next to the fire, listening to the rainfall in the background. He knew then that she was the girl for him. But obviously the feelings were not mutual. Ruia had used him. She was in love with another man. 'But if that is true, then why I can I not stop thinking about her? Every waking moment, she is in my thoughts, at night my dream. Could I have misjudged her?' 

Staring at the moon, Yugioh suddenly saw Ruia's reflection staring back at him. He smiled and started singing what he felt inside his heart. 

_"If you're not the one then why does my soul feel glad today? If you're not the one then why does my hand fit yours this way? If you are not mine then why does your heart return my call? If you are not mine would I have the strength to stand at all?"_

Yugioh remember the first time he ever danced with Ruia, the night of his party. Ra, she was gorgeous, even at ten. Meeting her had been the best birthday present ever. Of course Loki had to come and ruin everything, but still that night had been magical. 

_"I never know what the future brings. But I know you are here with me now. We'll make it through. And I hope you are the one I share my life with. I don't wanna run away but I can't take it, I don't understand. If I'm not made for you then why does my heart tell me that I am? Is there any way that I can stay in your arms?"_

Snuggled together in the cave, both wishing feverishly that the storm would never end so they would not have to leave the others side again. He wished to hold her forever that would truly be the perfect life for him. 

_"If I don't need you then why am I crying on my bed? If I don't need you then why does your name resound in my head? If you're not for me then why does this distance maim my life? If you're not for me then why do I dream of you as my wife?"_

His pillow was soaked with the tears of unhappiness. He missed his father, more than he ever would have expected. The pain was excruciating, but that had not caused the rivers that fell from his eyes every night. Ruia was the cause, not from the sight of her betrayal, but from the thought of not being with her, ever. 

_"I don't know why you're so far away. But I know that this much is true. We'll make it through. And I hope you are the one I share my life with. And I wish that you could be the one I die with. And I pray in you're the one I build my home with. I hope I love you all my life I don't wanna run away but I can't take it, I don't understand. If I'm not made for you then why does my heart tell me that I am? Is there any way that I can stay in your arms?"_

Ruia, she was the only person for him. There was nothing more to it than just that. He loved her. He loved her. Yugioh stood and stared out the window, leaning against the stones. He knew the truth now. His voice rose. 

_" 'Cause I miss you body and soul so strong that it takes my breath away. And I breathe you into my heart and pray for the strength to stand today. 'Cause I love you, whether it's wrong or right. And though I can't be with you tonight. You know my heart is by your side"_

He knew what to do now. He had to get Ruia back, somehow. It was the only way he would ever be truly happy again. How he was going to do that, he was not sure. But if it was a fight Ruia wanted, he was going to give it. He needed her, as a friend. She was his stability, his lifeline, and his best friend. 

_"I don't wanna run away but I can't take it, I don't understand. If I'm not made for you then why does my heart tell me that I am? Is there any way I can stay in your arms?"_

Yugioh smiled and stared at the moon. He could still clearly see Ruia's image starting back at him. "I love you Ruia Ana." 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ 

Ruia sat on her bed clutching her pillow tightly to her chest. 'I never expected the pain to last this long. I made a promise to myself that I would get Yugioh back and yet, I have done nothing. And I will not try until the grieving period for his father is over with either. But can I last another forty days like this? I miss him so much.' A single tear cascaded down her face. 'We can never be more than friends, I know that, but seeing him with that other girl. I understand now what Yugioh must have felt like when he saw me with Jarha. No, I do not. What he felt had to be much worse.' 

Sighing, she opened the book in front of her and began to read. Uncle Ay had given her another book to read about the legends of the Divinity children written by a foreseer. This one contained different magic techniques the children supposedly possessed. So far, Ruia had none of them. She just was not ready for this level of magic, not matter what her uncle said. 

_Divinity can mean one of several things when it comes to the subject of magic. Each child is different when it comes to his or her own magic. One of the biggest differences is his or her realm. Magic is not just a force that people can control. Rather, it is a much deeper energy than anyone could expect. Magic is divided into several mystical realms and each child has control over one particular area. There are several realms listed below. No child can have more than one, though sometimes it is hard to pinpoint which exactly his or her area._

_Mind – The realm of the mind is one of the most rare realms granted. This area is highly regarded as powerful and dangerous, for it can influence as well as destroy. There have only been a few cases in history that may support this realms existence. However, without physical prove, it is unclear to say how many Divinity Children actually have possessed this realm of influence.___

_Time – The realm of time is another unique and mysterious domain. Legends tend to hint that controllers of this realm are able not only to control time, but also highly influence the past, present, and even the future as well. While this idea could explain several phenomenons in our existence, it is highly unlikely that a gift as powerful as this would ever be granted to children, though not impossible.___

_The Elements – the more common of gifts. Several realms are grouped into this heading – air, water, fire, and earth. Each of these elements is important and powerful in their own rights. Elements like water, has its own subcategories as well. Ice and snow are two such categories. Snow has been proven possible due to a snowstorm in the desert. The other realms are just as likely due to this occurrence.___

_Soul – another of the rare realms. The soul is a sacred and the core to our essence. Regarded as the spring of our existence, the controller of this realm has the power to influence person's actions, but the being as well. If the child posses dark or black magic, he or she could easily corrupt the soul to do their biddings. If the divinity child has light magic, he or she's magic lays in the area of manipulation_. 

Ruia closed the book and sighed. She did not feel like reading about the divinity children. That further caused her distress. 'It is impossible for me to love someone as much as I do Yugioh, it simply cannot be. And yet, everything I read about the divinity children state that the two chosen are soul mates.' "NO!" Ruia threw the book across the room and watched it hit her wall and clatter to the ground. 

"Mistress? Are…are you okay?" 

"I REFUSE to believe it Mystic." Ruia responded, not bothering to answer her guardian's question. Hot tears ran down her face. "I do not believe a word of this…" Ruia waved her hand at the book. "Lies, all of it!" 

Mystical Elf gulped and moved toward her charge. Never had she seen Ruia so distraught, so close to the breaking point. 'I have to do something and fast. Ruia may not last much longer.' She thought. Placing a hand on Ruia's shoulder, she sat down. "Take a deep breath, I do not need you passing out on me. Now calmly tell me what is wrong." 

"I do not believe it. How do those writers know for sure that the Divinity Children are made for one another? They cannot. It is physically impossible, right? No one can predict love." 

"They do not Ruia. We have discussed this before." 

"If that is true, then why do all the books say the same thing over and over again?" 

Mystic sighed. "Because of the divine ritual, you and the divine father bonded that night. Together, you two became a god and goddess. That togetherness, that pact leads many writers to believe that bond extends to all levels of a relationship – friendship to lovers. And to an extent, it does make sense. But that does not make it fact." 

"I know." Ruia ran a hand over her tired face. She could not recall the last time she had gotten a decent night's sleep or sleep at all for that matter. Days, weeks had it been? She lost count. "I am just trying to do what is best for the country and yet my heart wants me to do a totally separate thing. I know I can never fully have what my heart wants, but I cannot picture myself with anyone but him. In fact, I do not think I want too." 

"You are putting too much pressure on yourself. If you are not careful Ruia, you are going to make yourself horrible sick. Though you try to hide it, I can see the fatigue in your eyes and the scratchiness in your voice. You need sleep." 

"How can I sleep? There is so much running through my head. The divine father, my powers, protecting Yugioh, being with Yugioh, my father, my life in general, all of it is just this massive sentence in my head, repeating over and over again." 

"I promise Ruia, if you just get some rest that mess will sort itself out into minor sentences. They will not go away, but at least you will be able to think about them more clearly." 

"I do not think that is humanly possible. I've weighed my options every which way and in the end, nothing satisfies everyone. Any option I choose, someone gets hurt, whether it is dad, Jarha, Yugioh, or myself. It is a no win situation." 

"Sleep Ruia." Mystical Elf pulled back the blanket over her bed. "Now please." She stood to allow Ruia to slip under. 

"I am never going to be able to sleep." 

Mystical Elf smiled and placed two slender fingers on Ruia's forehead. Whispering softly, a glow covered Ruia. Removing her fingers, Mystic smiled as Ruia's breathing evened out. 

'Sleep well little one, for not even I am sure when the time you will have such a peaceful sleep.' 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ 

Darkness was the only thing that remained constant. It was his comfort, his solitude, and the one thing that would not betray or leave him. Linen hung against the windows, blocking any form of sunlight from seeping in, disrupting the precious night. 

Absentmindedly, the shadowy figure in the corner let out a small sigh and uncurled himself from his fetal position. Reaching for a single candle, he lit it, allowing some light to break into the dark abyss. 

Watching the flame flickering back and forth, Yugioh wondered what it would be like to be the flame, the candle, anything but him. Of course each had their respective downfalls. Even the flame and candle had the sensation of death. A flame being extinguished or the candle totally melted each symbolized death. 

He was not scared of death, just depressed by it. Death came in many forms, each waiting to strike you when you least expect it. There was physical death, like the one that had taken his father to the next life, but there was also the spiritual death and the emotional death. Both were just as cruel and unforgiving as physical death. Or maybe they were worse, at least with physical death, the pain and suffering went away, but with the other two, they were with you forever, suffocating you like a thick blanket had been thrown over his head. 

'I have to get out of this state of mind, this will not help me lead my country to greatness.' He moved his finger back and forth through the flame, not noticing the minor pain. 'These feelings cannot be healthy. I cannot remember the last time I have smiled, truly smiled and been happy.' Yugioh slumped against his bed. 'That was a bit of an understatement. I can remember the last time I had been happy, when I knew my father and Ruia were still in my life. But like the candle that melts away, so did my father's fight to live and my trust in Ruia. Both died. But like the flame, one can be relit. It may take years, but I can have Ruia back in my life. I just have to stop being so stubborn. But if that is all true, why can I not seem to shake this overwhelming feeling of loneliness? I know I am not alone, I have friends by my side and yet it does not seem enough.' 

The darkness was consuming, not of just the light. It fed off everything, his pain, his confusion, and his loneliness. It wanted his soul, his whole being. These feelings had to stoop, before he was totally lost to the darkness. Numbly, Yugioh took his guardian card and flicker it into the air, hoping that Dark would arrive. 

"Master?" 

Yugioh jumped when a hand touched his shoulder. He did not realize that he had closed his eyes. "I am all right." 

"If you expect me to believe that one Yugioh, I am not." He knelt in front of his master. "You have not been well since your father's illness began and I am afraid those feelings tripled now that he has passed on. Your grief is tearing you up from the inside out. I can sense it. Yugioh, it is all right to ask for help and assistance, to show your emotions. It does not make you weak or a coward. It makes you human, nothing more, nothing less." 

"You make it sound so easy to do, but it is not. I want these feelings to go away, but they will not, no matter what I do, they are always there, lingering over my shoulder. I'm scared Dark. These feelings are darkness, plain and simple. I am afraid that they might consume me if I am not careful." 

Dark sighed. "What you are feeling is natural. It is part of the grieving experience. However, you are correct. If you do not do anything about it, these feelings can corrupt you. But you see Yugioh, you are already trying to fight the darkness, you came to me to talk. That is a very big step in the recovery process." 

Yugioh leaned his head back against the pillows. "Does life get any easier with age? I mean everything has crashed around me. I am only fourteen and I am expected to lead a country to greatness, stop the on-going feud with Greece, find the Divine Mother, and on top of it, get Ruia to forgive me, which I can tell is going to be the hardest of the four." Yugioh said with a faint smile on his face. 

Dark Magician chuckled. "You are probably right. But let us tackle on problem at a time. We need to get these feelings that you have bottled up out so you may begin to heal. And you also need to get out of this room and do something." 

"Like what?" 

The Dark Magician smiled. "I think your friends have something planned for you. Just promise me you will not do anything overly foolish." 

"You know I can not make that promise." 

Dark Magician shook his head. "Just be ready when the time comes." 

Yugioh nodded. "Of course. And thank you." 

"You know I am always there for you." 

Yugioh smiled. 'At least I know Dark is there, that is a break in the darkness.' 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ 

"Is everything ready" Bakura asked, grapping the three cloaks he had stashed under his bed. He turned to face his companion. 

"I got the directions to her house from Anzu. She will met us at our place. All you have to do is help Anzu keep Yugioh there until I get back. Think you can handle it?" Setto replied shrugging on the deep blue cloak. 

"I hope so. Setto, do you think we are doing the right thing? Maybe we should not. This could backfire and leave Yugioh worse off than before." He put on his own cloak. 

"Bakura, I am at a lost for ideas what to do to snap Yugioh out of his depression. We have tried everything. This is the only thing left and if it does not work, then I am afraid the darkness has totally consumed Yugioh for good. We have no other options. This is the only way, I am sure of this." 

"I guess you are right. We really do have no choice in the matter. Shall we get the Pharaoh?" Bakura opened his door and made sure no one was in the hallway. He waved at Setto to follow him. 

Setto nodded. 'Please Ra, let this work.' 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ 

Yugioh jumped up in shock as someone pounded on his door. 'Dear Ra, what happened now?' It was late; he could see the moon high in the night sky. Someone coming to his door now could only mean disaster. He just hoped he had the strength to face whatever news presented it, both physically and mentally. Yugioh opened the bedroom doors and squinted from the brightness of the light the torches gave off. "Yes?" 

"Put this on. We are going out." The voice was a low whisper. The figure remained hidden in the shadows, as if he was afraid of being caught. And yet, the voice was as familiar as his name. 

A cloak was shoved violently into his hands. "Setto? What, what is going on?" Yugioh asked tiredly. He felt no real urge to play games right at the moment. All he wanted to do was sleep the night away. 

"Please Yugioh. This is important." 

"Bakura?" Yugioh pulled the cloak on around him. He was not sure what his friends were up too, but too tired to care. He just did as he was told. 

"Listen Yugioh. I am sick and tired of seeing you mope around. Yes I know you father died but I am worried about you as well. You are heading down a very dark path. So Bakura and I decided that we needed to leave the grounds for a while. How does a stroll by the Nile sound to you?" 

Going out was the last thing Yugioh wanted to do. He wanted his bed and pillow. And nice dreamless sleep sounded like heaven, but even that was denied to him. Ruia haunted him even there. Still though, sneaking of the palace grounds, while normally a trip he loved, was something he rather not participate in that night. 'Dark said though that my friends were going to try something like this and I should go, despite not wanting too. Maybe a walk in the cool night air will help clear my mind.' Yugioh mused. "Okay, you both win. Let us go out and enjoy a stroll by the Nile." 

Setto and Bakura shared a startled look. Neither had expected it to be this easy. Each had figured Yugioh to put of a demon of a fight, considering how Yugioh wanted complete solitude lately. Maybe Yugioh was coming out of his depression on his own. Still, he needed on last push in the right direction. And they were the two High Priests to do the job. 

Bakura was the first to recover. "Right then. Let us get going." 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ 

Ruia awoke to someone softly shouting her name by her window. Blinking tiredly, she moved over to the window and looked down. "Setto? Do you have any idea what time it is?" She yawned. When she woke up, she considered killing the young High Priest for waking her from her first decent night sleep. 

Setto smiled. "About time you woke up. Nice place you got here. And yes I know what time it is. Time for you to get up and start the day." 

Ruia groaned. "Setto, that is just so funny, I cannot stop laughing. Please just get to the point of your visit before I go back to bed or fall asleep here at the window." 

"Of course. I need your help." 

"With what?" Ruia sat down at her window, leaning her head against the wall. It was too early in the morning for this. 

"Look, I know you are not on the best of terms with Yugioh right now, but he really needs your help. I am not sure who else to turn to but you." 

Ruia's eyes snapped open in alarm. "What? What happened to him?" 

"He has fallen into a state of utmost depression. So far, none of the High Priests have been able to snap him out of it, not I, Bakura, or Jarha. Please Ruia Ana, you are our last hope." 

"I think you came to the wrong person Setto. Yugioh wants nothing to do with me; he made that perfectly clear in the letter." Ruia snapped, the hurt leaking into her voice. 

"Please Ruia, I know that letter must have hurt terrible, but listen to me. I know for a fact Yugioh loves you. This breakup of yours caused him just as much pain as it did you. Maybe more since he was the one who caused it. He needs you, right now." Setto glanced up at Ruia's window. She was gone. "Great." He muttered, "There went our last chance." Setto sighed. Ruia was his last option and she did not want anything to do with them. The damage was indeed severed. 

"Setto, get ready!" A voice shouted down at him. 

Setto looked back up to see Ruia, dressed and ready to go. "What are you going to do?" 

Ruia smiled. "Simple. I am going to jump and you are going to catch me." 

"The things I do for love." He steadied himself and waited for Ruia to drop herself down. Luckily it was a short jump. 

"Where is he?" Ruia asked as soon as her feet touched the ground, wrapping a cloak tighter around her. 

"Where else? Your spot." 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ 

Yugioh sat beneath the stars staring out at the serene Nile before him. The moon glistened across the land, casting a silver glow about the sand. He sat away from the light, seeking refuge in the comfort of the dark shadows from the trees. Digging his fingers back and forth through the sand was the only sign that he was still conscious and not apart of the nature scenery. 

Bakura had wandered off moments ago to explore a little and stretch his legs. Yugioh did not really mind much; he was becoming accustomed to being alone. 'I wonder if I am going to be like this for the rest of my life.' The brisk cool air had indeed help clear his senses. Still, the beauty of the outdoors, outside the confining walls of palace life, could not snap him out of his confused state. In fact, it may have left him even more perplexed. 

He did not realize what he had done until he sat in the white sand. Subconsciously, he walked right to the very spot were the trouble all began. If he had never found Ruia here, then maybe so much pain could have been spared, for the both of them. Dejected, Yugioh pulled his knees up to his chin and rested his arms on the knees. He stared up at the starry sky and wondered if Ruia was looking at the very same heaven. 'What am I thinking? Most people are asleep at this time, not sitting outside questioning the meaning of life. 

**Crunch**

In an instant, Yugioh leaped to his feet, hand going for his sword. He was not alone. Turning to face the sound, the sword fell soundlessly onto the sand. 'No…' his mind cried softly. 'Life is not this kind…. it is my imagination, nothing more.' Yugioh stayed froze in his position as he stared at the lovely image before him. 

Ruia stood a mere five feet from him, offering no words toward him. Her gaze never flickered from him, even when a small wisp of her hair blew softly across her face before settling back into place. She grasped her purple cloak tighter around her slim figure, finally lowering her gaze. 

'How…how did Ruia know I was here? Why did she come? I thought she would never speak, let alone visit me again after all the harsh and cruel words I wrote to her. No wonder I love her so much. So forgiving, so loving, so perfect in every way imaginable.' Yugioh thought. 

'He is furious, that is has to be the reason he has not spoken a word.' Ruia lowered her purple eyes to the sand. 'Setto was wrong. I should not have come. Yugioh does not want to see him. He rather be with that other girl not me. This was not a good idea.' A single tear ran down her cheek. 'Things are truly over.' 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ 

Anzu snuggled closer to Setto from their advantage point on top the cliff. "Tell me again, why did you pick one of the coldest nights of the year to reunite them?" 

Setto held Anzu closer. "Maybe for cuddling purposes?" He smiled. "Tonight was just the first chance we had." 

"Yeah, well things are not looking good down there. Neither one has spoken and if I had to put money on it, I think Ruia is contemplating leaving." Bakura whispered. 

"What!" Anzu exclaimed. She and Setto moved over to where Bakura was sitting. "Oh no, she cannot leave. That will ruin everything, forever too. Ruia has to stay!" 

Setto and Bakura said nothing, knowing that what Anzu was saying was dead accurate. If Ruia left, Yugioh would be crushed. The darkness would surely claim him for its pawn. That could not happen. 

Setto rocked back on his heels. 'Here is your chance Yugioh, do not let it slip through your hands. I know you love Ruia still. I see it in your actions, your words, and your eyes. You cannot think of anything but her, not even Satire can break the bond you two have. Do not let something like that go Yugioh. Swallow your pride. Fight for her.' 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ 

'I cannot stay here any longer. This is too painful.' Ruia turned feeling the hot tears running down her face. She jumped when a hand clasped her wrist. 

Whirling around, she came face to face with Yugioh. His purple eyes plead with her to stay. Slowing Yugioh let go of her wrist, wrapping his arms around Ruia's waist, but never taking his eyes off her own. 

Ruia wrapped her arms around his neck completing the embrace. She laid her head against his chest, snuggling in his warm embrace. 'This must be a dream, this cannot be real.' 

Yugioh held Ruia tighter in his arms. He rested his chin against her shoulder and smiled. Tears fell from his eyes. Ruia forgave him. She never spoke a word, but he knew anyway. He felt Ruia pull back suddenly, a smile evident on her face. She unwrapped one her arms and gently brushing away his tears with her fingers. She laid her head back on his shoulder and sighed happily. Yugioh hugged her tightly and then cupped her chin. 

The two stared at one another, allowing the moon's rays to capture the other's face in a wondrous glow. Fearing that the other would suddenly disappear, Ruia and Yugioh both whispered the words they longed to tell. 

"I love you."   
  
  
  
  
  


**Q and A**

**Tea Gardner **– Yugioh took the throne at 14. Ruia and Yugioh are married at 15. 

**Queen Rashaida – EgYpT's RuLeR **– um, sorry about the Satire part, but I had that planned long before the review, don't kill me, lol. And as you going professional, well that is a sweet compliment and a great motivation for my schoolwork – I am a journalist major. 

**Sparky16 **– You can't kill me! Roomie would kill you then. I hope. She might kill me before you get the chance, lol.****

**Aibou** – I wish I could take credit for those lyrics, but unfortunately, they are not my own. They are mostly song lyrics and at 3 in the morning, I sometimes forget to give credit where it is due. That is my fault.   



	10. Age Fourteen: Destiny's scheme, part thr...

Disclaimer: I will own Yugioh just as soon as I am named the new coach of the Pittsburgh Penguins. Also the song, Love will find a way is from Lion King 2. 

Anya: *sits outside throwing book after book into a massive bonfire.* bye bye mythology book, political science book. Heh good ridance. 

Raya: Don't you need those for finals week? 

Anya: well crap, I do. 

Raya: *chuckles* 

Anya: well that could be a problem...anyway I am deeply sorry for the very long wait. But school was being a drastic pain making me study for exams, quizes and doing evil evil papers. I deeply apologize. But hopeful this chapter shall make up for it. I made it long as possible. Ok, enough rambling from me and enjoy the chapter. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ 

'Finally, something makes sense in my life.' Ruia thought as she stared into Yugioh's intense purple eyes. She tightened her grip around his neck and closed her eyes as she felt his lips capture hers in a sweet kiss. 

Ruia returned the kiss as passionately as she could. 'Please do not let this be all a cruel dream and if it is not, never let this moment end.' Their lips seemed to be locked together as they were aware of no one else but themselves. Ruia shivered slightly as she felt Yugioh hold her tighter in his arms. Minutes seemed to pass until the two finally broke the kiss for a breath of air. 

Smiling softly, Ruia rested her head against Yugioh's chest, still entwined in his arms. The kiss still lingered on her lips, a lasting impression from the one she loved so dearly. 'This is what I want with my life, the only thing I want. No one else can make me feel like this. Forget destiny and Jarha, I have found my soul mate.' 

Sighing contently, Yugioh placed another kiss on the top of her forehead, rubbing Ruia's back gently. Oh how he had missed her. His heart pounded from relief; she still cared. Still, he had to tell her, it was the only way he could forgive himself. "Ruia, I am so sorry. I should have never said those things to you. I overacted. I understand that now that you would never purposely hurt me. Believe me when I say this that I am so sorry for hurting you like that. You are the most important person to me in the world. I should have remembered our promise, trusted you more as well." 

"Forget the promise. I…I cannot just be a friend anymore Yugioh, not after I finally figured out what my heart was trying to tell me all this time. I love you and there is nothing in this world that can ever change that. I do not want to be with anyone else. You are my soul mate; the only person I want to be with. Forget…" 

Yugioh silenced her by pressing a slender finger to her lips. "Shh. I do not care anymore about the other boy. I know now that I should have trusted you and in how much I love you. You are right, this promise to be friends is never going to work, but what can we really do? I just want to tell society to accept us and be done with it." 

"You cannot do that!" Ruia exclaimed. "I mean I want you to do nothing more, but your reputation would be ruined. I cannot let you do that. You have a duty to these people, if you admit to loving a commoner; they will never accept you as their leader. I cannot allow you to ruin your life like that." 

"I do not care Ruia, please understand that. Nothing in this world matters but you." He rested his face against her head and rubbed her neck his thumb. Ruia, I love you and only you. Nothing in the world or what society says can ever change that. I would gladly give up being the Pharaoh if it meant I could be with you forever. And I would never regret the decision, not even for a second. You are my soul reason for existence." 

Ruia felt the redness creep up onto her cheeks. 'He loves me as much as I love him. Why does fate have to be so cruel? Why can we not be together? That is all I want with my life. I would give up everything, my singing, divinity, and my life just to be with him' She suppressed a small sigh. "Then what do we do, I know I can not go on pretending. It hurts too much to do that. I refuse to lie to myself anymore." 

Yugioh placed a kiss on the top of Ruia's head. "Simple, we love each other. And if your father forces you to marry this other boy, just remember that I will love you always, no matter what. But maybe the fates will be kind to us and we can be together somehow." 

Ruia smiled. "I take it running away is out?" 

"I cannot abandon my people like that, even though that is the one thing I would like to do, considering I would be with you forever. But I cannot fail my father like that, you do understand. Please Ruia, do not be mad. I would want nothing more than to give up my title, but I cannot be that selfish to my people." 

"I would be more mad at you if you left with me, despite how happy that would make both of us. You are going to make a fine ruler Yugioh; I have no doubt in that. You already have the wisdom and the moral strength to succeed." 

"Unfortunately, that leaves us right back where we are, knowing we should be together and yet we are not." Yugioh sadly replied. 'If I was such a great ruler, I would find a way to continue ruling and have Ruia by my side and yet I draw a blank when I most desperately need answers.' 

Ruia pulled back slightly from the embrace and looked up into Yugioh's eyes. Her voice rang out smooth as silk. "_In a perfect world, one we've never known, we would never need, to face the world alone. They can have the world. We'll create our own. I may not be brave nor strong or smart, but somewhere in my secret heart, I know love will find a way. Anywhere I go; I'm home, if you are there beside me. Like dark turning into day, somehow we'll come through. Now that I've found you, love will find a way._" 

Yugioh smiled and followed Ruia's lead. The words came so naturally as he sung. "_I was so afraid. Now I realize, love is never wrong, and so it never dies. There's a perfect world shining in your eyes_." 

"_And if only they could feel it too, the happiness I feel with you. They'd know; love will find a way. Anywhere we go, we're home, if we are there together. Like dark turning into day, somehow we'll come through. Now I've found you, Love will find a way. I know love will find a way._" 

The two trailed off, eyes never flickering off the other, not even for the briefest of moments. A light breeze blew around them, but neither heeded it. Nothing could ruin the moment. They were together and that was all that mattered. Light flickered off in the horizon, signaling the start of a new morning. 

"I can't believe it is morning already." Ruia whispered watching the sun slowly begin to rise. She felt Yugioh tighten his grip and together they watched the sunrise. 

"Gorgeous, just like you." Yugioh whispered into her ear. "I cannot believe it is morning though. It seems like you just got here. It does not seem like we have been out here half the night, rather only a few minutes. Just how long was our kiss again?" 

Ruia chuckled. "Too short if you ask me." 

Yugioh turned Ruia back around and moved her close. "Oh really?" He did not miss Ruia shudder in his embrace. "Well then, we will just have to correct that will we not?" 

He leaned forward and softly pressed his lips to hers. 'This is happiness. This is what I have been searching for all my life. She is the one I have been searching for.' 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ 

"Does anyone else feel guilty about watching this?" Bakura whispered turning to his two companions who were sitting next to one another watching their friend's love lives unfold before them. 

"Nope." Setto and Anzu replied simultaneously. 

Anzu laughed. "This is quality blackmail Bakura. Besides, it is just so romantic. I am happy for them; they both finally gave into their pride and admit the truth – that they truly love the other. It is just so sweet to watch. I just wish it could be like that every day for them, but we all know that can never be. Society will never accepted it. And despite knowing all that, they still admit their feelings and attempt to fulfill their heart's desires. I think they both are finding the stability, happiness, and honesty they had been searching for all their lives. I just wish it had not taken them so long to realize what they meant to the other person. Maybe then so much pain could have been avoided." 

"It all worked out in the end though. They are happy, I can tell. I just hope it lasts, for both of them. I do not know if Yugioh could handle another disappointment in his life. Still, he is setting himself up for one; Ruia is as well. They have to realize that the other will marry someone else. And yet, they still move forward, seeking the other's love. That my friend is some kind of love and commitment." Setto whispered turning his gaze from the two young lovers. "It is getting to be light, people will be awaking soon to start their days. We all better get back before someone realizes that none of us are at home sleeping." 

"Do you think we can pull those two apart to do that though?" Bakura asked with a soft smile. "I fear it will not be an easy task, both will realize that it might be weeks before they can meet again." 

Anzu groaned. "Knowing that, we better get down there and break up their little reunion. I have no intention of getting caught by my parents, no matter how good this night turned out. If Ruia and I want to live along enough to see all of you again; we need to get back." 

"You both will get back in plenty of time." Bakura assured. "However, we should not tempt the gods in anyway. " He started down the path, followed by Setto and Anzu. Bakura found himself smiling at seeing the Pharaoh content expression as held Ruia close. "Yugioh, Ruia. We need to get back before someone notices that we are all gone." 

"Thank you Bakura." Ruia whispered. She had known about Bakura and how he knew about Yugioh and her. She sighed and turned back to her soul mate. Leaning against him, Ruia tried to soak in every feeling, smell, and sight that she could. There was no telling when they would ever see each other again, if they ever did. Placing the palm of her hand over his heart she whispered. "When will I see you again?" 

She felt Yugioh stiffen against her. "I wish I knew Ruia, Ra I wish I knew. But no matter what, I will try to get back to you, to hold you in my arms, to take away your fears. I love you Ruia and I will do everything in my powers to see you again." 

"Promise?" 

"No." 

Ruia blinked. "What?" 

Yugioh chuckled. "It is a commitment." He rested his forehead against hers and softly kissed her nose. "Now get going before you get caught being not only outside your house but city limits too." 

Hesitating to leave the warmth and security she felt in Yugioh's arms, Ruia finally nodded and after saying a quick goodbye to the others, starting walking back towards Memphis with Anzu besides her. 

"Someone looks like he finally snapped out his depression" Setto replied, crossing his arms over his chest with a smirk. 

"She…she forgave me. I did not have to say anything either; it was if she already knew what I was going to say." Yugioh trailed off a moment before speaking again. "Thank you, both of you." 

"We just wanted to see you happy again and we both knew that neither you nor Ruia would take the steps to reconcile without a little push." Bakura explained as they walked towards the palace grounds. 

"A little push Bakura? It is more like a shove." Setto countered a teasing smile on his face. He could not be any happier for his friend. 'Finally, Yugioh seems to be coming out of his depression. About time, I was really worried there for the longest time. But now, I think everything will be all right. Yugioh is smiling and laughing again. Ruia did it.' Setto felt as if a load had been lifted from his shoulder. 

The palace gates were just ahead of them. A lonely figure stood guard there pacing back and forward occasionally staring off into the distance looking for something or someone. 

"Looks like we worried Honda a bit." Yugioh said with a laugh. "Rightfully so I guess, we were out half the night were we not?" 

Bakura nodded. "Ai we were. But it was for a good cause was it not? Besides, it appears we made it back in plenty of time. It does not seem that anyone has noticed our presence was missing." 

The trio walked up to Honda. 

"About time you three got back. I was beginning to worry." Honda smiled. "Things went well I see, all three of you are smiling, not to mention that you were gone all night practically." 

Yugioh could not hide his pleasure. "She forgave me. I have no idea why, but she did. I swear for the majority of the time all I did was just hold her and that was enough for me. My head was just in a jumble of disbelief that she forgave me before I even had the chance to apologize to her. I just could not get over that fact." 

Setto laughed. "And what he does not tell you is the other have of the time he spent kissing his dear lost love." He ducked the one coming hit from Yugioh. "What? You know I am right. Besides, Ruia knew you were just upset and she missed you just as much you missed her." 

"Sounds like I missed a good show." Honda replied with a laugh watching the redness in Yugioh's cheeks grow brighter and brighter. "And from the reaction from our dear Pharaoh, I take it I would have enjoyed it too." He snapped his fingers. "Such is the life of a guard. No fun, no excitement." 

Bakura raised an eyebrow. "And if you expect anyone of us to believe that one, you have another thing coming Honda. You helped mastermind the whole escape!" 

"Oh yeah. And it was a darn good plan too if I do say so myself." 

"Thank you, all of you." Yugioh said with a smile. "I hate to admit when you three are right, but this time you were. I feel much better now that I know she have forgiven me." 

"Anytime Yugioh. Now I have a question. Now that you and Ruia are back on speaking terms, I am going to be running notes back and forth again am I not?" 

"You brought it upon yourself Honda. But yes, you will." 

"It is a duty I am willing to undertake. Besides, it will give me the chance to see Ruia and apologize as well. I know I was harsh and cold to her. " Honda leaned back against the wall. "So what is on the agenda for today fellows?" 

"Jarha, Jou, and I will be traveling down to Akhetaton for trade talks with their town leaders. We should be there for a standard week. Meanwhile, Yugioh, Bakura, and yourself are traveling up to Alexandria to meet with some representatives from Greece." 

Honda nodded at Setto's words. "What time are the convoys leaving?" 

"Both groups will be leaving by nightfall." Yugioh replied walking into the palace. "If any of you need to take of personal plans, I suggest you do them now." 

"I better go say goodbye to my brother. He would be quite mad at me if I didn't." Setto said. "My parents will be thrilled. A sunrise visit." Chuckling, Setto turned and headed back for the village. "I will be back soon." 

Yugioh nodded, then turn his attention back to the others. "I do not know about you Bakura, but I am ready for a nice long nap before we head out tonight." 

Bakura nodded in agreement. "I think that would be best unless we want to fall asleep when talking to the representatives from Greece. Would that not just set the right tone?" 

"If the Greeks did not hate us before, they would after that embarrassment. I'm going to bed. Night you two." 

Bakura and Honda shared a glance then spoke in unison. "Morning Pharaoh." 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ 

Ruia leaned against rock as she absentmindedly tapped out a beat on her papyrus. A smile crossed her face as she scribbled down another line. Softly, she hummed the beat and melody to her words, not even realizing Anzu was trying to talk to her. 

"You are not paying attention to me are you Ruia Ana?" Anzu said with a small chuckle. She recognized the expression on her friend's face – she was in composition mood. "RUIA!" 

"Huh?" Ruia looked up and gave a sheepish grin. "I am sorry. I just could not get these lyrics out of my head. I had to write them down." She handed the papyrus to Anzu. "Honest opinion. It is no where near done, I mean I only have two stanzas but for what I have, what do you think?" 

Anzu read the words out loud. "They tried to keep us from each other. They crucified our love. Said we were not good enough, to be lovers. Our love will last forever. True love   
True love never dies. We'll always be together. True love." She trailed off. "These are beautiful Ruia. It captures yours and Yugioh's relationship perfectly. But…" 

"But what?" Ruia looked at her friend curiously. "Do you see something that I need to change? Add?" 

She sighed. "No, the words are absolutely perfect. It is, well I worry about you that is all. I do not want you to get your hopes up about having a true relationship with Yugioh. Yes, you both love each other dearly, but our society will never accept it. It is impossible. I just do not want to see either of you hurt if this does not work out the way you both want." 

"We've both realized that, honestly we have. I do not know. I just keep praying to Ra, Ptah, Sekhmet, all the gods and goddesses to let the fates be kind to Yugioh and I, but I know that is wishful thinking. I just love him so much that it hurts to think of being with anyone else but him. You should know exactly how I feel. I see the same feelings I have for Yugioh in you and Setto." 

"He stopped by this afternoon, that is what I was trying to tell you earlier. He was on his way back to the palace. Mother was pleased to see him." 

Ruia looked over her shoulder and back at Anzu's house. "Your mother loves Setto as much as she loves her own child." 

"True, anyway he mentioned that he and Jarha were going to visit the village leaders from Akhetaton for roughly a week. It also seems that Bakura and Ryou are going to Alexandria for that amount of time as well." 

"Ah, this explains why Jarha wants to see me later. This is the best I could have gotten. One whole week without Jarha hounding me with gifts everyday, what a vacation." 

"RUIA!" 

"I know, I know. He is just being nice but he is literally suffocating me with all the attention he gives, as well as the presents. It is driving me crazy. Dad is no help either, or Uncle Ay. They both want me to marry him even if it is not what I want at all." 

"What are you going to do if Jarha asks you for the courting period to be over with?" 

Ruia grimaced as the thought. "I am not sure. I want to say no, but father would disown me without hesitation. But if I say yes, I am living a lie. I cannot just ignore what my heart tells me. I am being forced to choose between my family's wishes and what I truly want. Do you see my dilemma?" 

"Ai, I do but Ruia you will eventually have to make a decision. And no matter what you chose, someone is going to get hurt." Anzu rested her head atop her knees. "What will you do then my friend? I do not know how you can possible choose like that. I know I could not." 

Ruia sighed. "I guess I will follow what my heart tells me to do when the situation arises. It is hard to say what I will do down the road. Someday, probably soon too, I will have to make this very decision, but until then I cannot say what I will do. I want to desperately say no to the proposal knowing how much I love Yugioh. But as you clearly pointed out before, that is simply not possible. However at the same time, I cannot lie to myself. I do not love Jarha. How can I marry someone I have no feelings for what so ever?" 

"You cannot." 

"Exactly. I am left with some life that no matter what, it not what I want. I can never have what I want no matter what I choose. It is simply not possible." 

Anzu sighed. Her friend was trapped, with no real clear path to continue down. Each option she had, lead to personal suffering. It was not fair, but that was life. She just wished there was something she could do to help her best friend, but there was nothing. This was a fate Ruia would have to choose and endure on her own. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ 

Bakura quickly raced through his packing. He still has one other task to take care of before he, Honda, Yugioh, and the rest of the convoy departed for Alexandria. Exiting his room, Bakura walked down the hall to the servant quarters. He knocked once on the door, hoping Athena or his brother was in. 

A couple moments later, the door opened revealing a pale, but happy looking Athena. "Bakura! I was not expecting you today. Ryou is not in right now. To be honest, I am not sure where your brother is or when he will be back." She motioned for him to come inside. "Excuse the mess but I have not felt up to cleaning in here before work." 

"Morning sickness still plaguing you?" 

"Of course. I am hoping you were right with your diagnoses that it will gradually disappear over time. Who knew having children could be so painful." She paused then smiled. "Painful, but so very worth it." Placing a hand over her stomach, Athena thought of the day when hers and Ryou's children would be born. 'Only eight more months.' 

"I am glad to hear that Athena, but you also look exhausted. Maybe you should take Yugioh up on his offer and just relax these next eight months. There is no sense in risking your health and the twins." 

"When my due date comes closer, I will. But until then, I will continue my duties. For any other Pharaoh, Bakura, I would have been treated as a slave, even for the people in the village. But Yugioh and his father before him never treated us like that, but rather as individuals. I just want to repay that kindness and continue doing my job." 

"I understand that, really I do. But that is not the only thing that is bothering you, is it? There is something else on your mind is there not?" 

Athena sighed. "I am worried about Ryou." She explained. "He is changing. I am not sure how to explain it. He was thrilled about the twins, but I think, no I know he is hiding something. When he thinks I am asleep, he slips out quietly into the night sky and always returns right before the morning dawn. I do not know what he is doing but I fear it can not be good." 

Bakura was not sure how to answer his sister-in-law's question. He too noticed a change in his twin, but unlike Athena, he knew why. The darkness had finally claimed him as its pawn. Recently, there had been a rash of temple thefts ands tomb raiding. He knew these strings of thefts were infuriating Yugioh greatly but so far they had no leads. That was however, until Bakura had foreseen his brother's acts. 'I just wish I knew how to make him stop. He is my brother and I love him dearly but that does not mean I approve of his actions in any way. I just wish I had proof otherwise that he was not the tomb raider we seek but my visions are seldom wrong. Which is why I had to alert Yugioh of my brother's possible actions. I had no other choice.' 

"You are awfully quite there Bakura. Do you know something I do not? Please if you do, you have to tell me. I have a right to know." She pled. 

"Athena…." He bit his lip. He could not tell her the whole truth but he could not lie to her either. "Ryou…he…he is traveling down a dark road. And you and I are going to have to do everything in our abilities to get him back on the right path." 

"He is my husband; I will do whatever it takes to help him." 

Bakura smiled. "Ai, we both will. Together we will help Ryou with what ever demons he is facing." 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ 

Ruia sat by her window and absentmindedly watched the rainfall throughout the land. She loved the flooding season. Rain rarely fell in the valley and it was a treat to watch when it did. She found the rhythmic beats against the ground soothing and relaxing." 

"Ruia! You have company." 

"Coming father!" Inwardly she groaned. She did not feel much like dealing with Jarha this evening. Standing, she straightened out her robes. 'Prim and proper as a wife should be.' She thought with a sour face. She did not understand the high importance on a woman's looks. Should her personality and mind not count for more? According to people like Jarha, it did not. Sighing, Ruia reached over and placed the necklace that was sitting there around her neck. 'Let's get this over with Ruia old girl.' 

Walking downstairs, she saw that her father and Jarha were all ready deep into conversation about some foreign policy that she had never even heard of but she still felt drawn to the conversation. Against her father's wishes, she knew without even looking at him, she sat across from Jarha, rather than next to him. She made sure her white robes settled neatly around her before remaining motionless as the men continued their conversation. There was no point in pushing her luck today. 

"Yugioh is a fool if he thinks that the Greeks are going to comply with his demands. If history has proven anything it is this – Greece will never settle on peace talks with us. It is naïve to think otherwise. Khu was the same way. Both father and son are delusional to think that all of a sudden the people of Greece have changed their minds and want to be on good terms with us." 

Ruia felt her blood boil. How dare Jarha speak so ill of the Pharaoh. 'And he is the foreign minister because why now?' She had no idea. "The Pharaoh is a good man Jarha. I am sure he has his reasoning in believing that the Greeks will listen to his proposal. Is it not even a small victory in even getting them to come here and listen at all? No I believe it is naïve to think that change can never happen." 

"Ruia Ana Motou." 

Ruia cringed. As soon as she started speaking, she realized her mistake. It was a woman's place not to interfere with the likes of politics. That was left to the husband or the male of the household. Her job was the family, nothing more, nothing less. But her biggest mistake, she had disagreed with Jarha. Granted, they were not engaged or married but her father still expected her to agree with whatever Jarha said as a good traditional Egyptian wife. 'I am dead. Osiris take me now.' 

"Ruia, you will not speak out of turn young lady as if you were a street scoundrel. You will show proper respect and manners in this household. Do I make myself clear?" 

"Yes father. I apologize for my actions." 

"Sugoroku, you are being far to hard on your daughter. After all, she does bring up a valid point. We are being naïve if we think nothing can ever change. Ruia was correct in her assessment if the situation." 

Ruia forced herself not to roll her eyes. She saw through Jarha's plan. 'Sorry, that little act is not going to win brownie points with me. I know your game, trying to make me think you understand me. Well I have news for you; I am not buying. There is only one person who truly understands me and that is the person you are degrading. Can you please just get on with why you are and leave?' 

"You are too kind to my daughter, too forgiving. She needs to learn proper etiquette as well as some other lessons." Sugoroku shook his head. 'When will Ruia grow up and leave these childhood antics of hers behind? She must grow up and learn her role in society.' 

"I am sure given the right amount of time and guidance Ruia will blossom into a fine member of society." 

'Can we stop talking as if I am not here please? If anyone needs to learn common curtsey, it is father and Jarha.' Ruia thought distastefully. 

"And actually Sugoroku, Ruia that is sort of my purpose for coming over here today." 

Ruia looked up curiously. She did not like the sound of that statement nor the widening smile inching across her father's face. Something was up and she had a strong feeling she was not going to like it. 'Is Jarha going to ask for me to accompany him and Setto on their trip?' 

"Ruia, we have known each other for a while now. And I must admit my life has never been better since you came into it. I look forward to seeing you every chance I get and long to see you when I cannot." 

Ruia gulped. 'Oh dear Sekhmet. Please tell me no. It cannot be. Dear Ra no.' 

"I guess what I am trying to ask is, Ruia Ana, will you be my wife?" 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ 

Ay knelt near the statue of Sekhmet deep in prayer. The time had come and far sooner that what he expected. Though he had not seen his niece in a little over a week, but right now he could sense her distress. And now because of it, he had fled to her realm temple hoping to get Ruia the answers she desperately sought. He promised his sister long ago, nearly fifteen years, that he would protect and guide Ruia to the best of his abilities. 

But if what he felt was true, there was nothing he could do. It was up to her to decide what her course of action will be. He was scared though. 'I am not sure I she ready, both physically, mentally, or magically.' 

"_She is ready, as long as she follows her heart._" A voice soothed. 

Ay looked up and glanced around the room. He knew he had heard a voice but yet no one was there – at least physically. Still, the voice comforted him. "Will she be all right?" 

A second voice answered him. "I**f she believes in the powers she was blessed with and in herself, your niece will prosper. Her inner struggles will fade away into nothingness."**

"Is there anything I can do to help her?" 

"_This crossroad is one the Divine Mother must choose on her own. There is nothing you can say that can change that prophet Ay_." 

"Who are you? How do you know of my niece's abilities? Are you…?"   


The first voice laughed softly. "_I am the one before you, the one you kneel at. You have my word that I shall protect and guide my protégé as you have. She will not be alone, ever, as long as she believes_." 

"**And I am Ruia's mother. Though it is not through birth, I am her mother nonetheless. It is my role to watch over her and make sure no harm comes to her or the Divine Father. They both shall be protected as long as I am here**." 

"Goddesses Sekhmet and Isis. I am honored by your presence. You seem to know of my underlying fear about the vision I received. And you both speak as if this very vision will come to pass. Is this true? Is this why you have appeared to me? To assure me that no matter what, Ruia will be all right?" 

Isis was the first to respond. **"Nothing is ever set in stone my son, but you shall be rewarded for everything you have done for my daughter and Sekhmet's protégé. She will be protected. This is our promise, our vow to you**." 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ 

Ruia opened her mouth but no words came out. 'What a time to be tongued tied. Just say no, you can do it girl. It is not that hard, really it is not. But if it is not, then why can I not say it? Could it be that I really have feelings for Jarha? No, there is no possible way. I love Yugioh, not him. I just do not want to hurt Jarha's feelings, that is all.' She glanced at her father who was beaming with pride. 'Well at least someone is happy. Oh Yugioh, what do I do?" 

"Ruia, I know this must come as a surprise and to be completely honest with you, I do not want your answer right now."   
  
"W…what?" She asked, finally finding her voice. 

"I am heading out of town for an extend period. In fact, I am leaving tonight. And how it would thrill me to know your answer right now, I would rather wait until I return. Then we could truly celebrate." 

"I understand." Ruia replied trying to hide the glee from her face. She still had time to figure out what to do. 

"I knew you would." He bent down and kissed her check. "Until hen my sweet. Good night Sugoroku." 

Ruia remained on couch as her father escorted Jarha to the door. Not only was she in a state of utter shock, she knew it was only a matter of moments before the fireworks began. 

She did not have to wait long. Sugoroku came back into the room and hugged his only daughter tightly. "I am so happy for you. You will be the most beautiful bride in all of Memphis." 

"Father." Ruia took a deep breath. 

"Yes Ruia dear." 

"I do not want to marry Jarha." 

The hands on her shoulder tighten painfully. "Daughter, tell me you are joking." 

"No father, I am not. When Jarha comes back I will turn down the proposal." Ruia closed her eyes waiting for the harsh words to come her way, but she was not backing down in any way. She knew what her heart wanted and this time; she was going to listen. 

"You will do no such thing!" Sugoroku said, voice rising in anger. 

"You can not control my life father. I refuse to have anything to do with Jarha!" 

"He loves you, can provide for you like I was not able to. You will marry him." 

"I do not love him and I refuse to marry for anything but love. And you father, will not stop me." 

"Why do you insist on being difficult? Jarha can give you a life you richly deserve. I know you love him." 

"BUT I DO NOT!" 

Sugoroku's eyes narrowed. "Do not raise your voice at me young lady. As long as you live in this house, you will listen to me. You will marry Jarha. Do I make myself clear?" 

Ruia narrowed her eyes as well. "Then I guess I am not living here anymore." 

"Good riddance then. Ungrateful child." 

Ruia's mouth dropped open in surprise. Rather than responding, she turned and fled to her room. 

"Ruia wait. I did not mean that!" 

Grabbing a bag, Ruia threw her notes from Yugioh, her art pad, lyrics and doll in. Shrugging a light cloak over her shoulder, she left her room and brushed past her father without a second glance. 

"Ruia please. I do not mean what I said. I was just angry. Can we just please sit down and talk this out rationally?" 

'He'll never understand me, never has.' Ruia thought. "You made your point perfectly clear father." She moved towards the door. 

"Where will you go?" 

Ruia laughed. "Why do you even care?" With that, she walked outside and into the pouring rain. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ 

"I am just glad the representative from Alexandria found us before we arrived into city limits." Bakura said, riding next to Honda. 

"Ai, it is a shame that the Greeks could not set sail over here, but I understand their reasoning for not wanting to sail in the storms they have been experiencing as of late. But I also know that Yugioh was looking forward to these meetings. He had such a good feeling about them too." 

"We all did, buy now with this week totally free from meetings, we both know what Yugioh will want to do." 

"Spend time with Ruia?" Honda said, shielding his face from the continuous onslaught from the rain. 

"Spend time with Ruia." Bakura replied, agreeing. He stared off into the distance. He could not shake the feeling from his subconscious that something was wrong. He shook the daze from his head. There were other things to concentrate on. 

"What is wrong?" Honda asked, noticing the expression on the High Priest's face. 

'I just had a feeling about something. It will not leave me alone either." 

"About the Pharaoh?" Honda questioned, lowering his voice as not to alarm the other guards in the party. 

"No, that is just it. I cannot pinpoint who it is just yet. The feeling just start a few moments go, but I can tell this much – it is not Yugioh. Maybe in a few minutes I will have a better perspective on whom this feeling is trying to warn me about." 

"But you can no idea at the moment?" 

"Not really, but the presence seems familiar. If I did not know any better, I would say Ruia. But there is no reason for her to be in danger, so I cannot understand why the feeling would be about her." 

"Should we alert Yugioh? I mean he would want to know if something happened to Ruia. She is his whole world, literally." 

"No, not yet. I am sure this has nothing to do with her, at least I hope. For all I know, this could just be a feeling about their relationship. Scared what is going to happen to them when they are forced to move on." 

"Do you really think it is that though?" 

Bakura shook his head. "Not really, but I do not think we should worry Yugioh about this just yet. If we say something is wrong with Ruia, there is no telling how he will react and that puts her in a unique and compromising situation. If the feeling becomes stronger or if I have a vision, we will do something then." 

"All right, if you are sure." Honda replied, not sounding the least bit convinced. 

"I am sure it is nothing." Bakura reassured, but failing to even do that to himself. 'If there is nothing wrong with her, then why do I have this feeling that my assessment could not be farther from the truth?' 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ 

Ruia ran through the town, bag smacking her side with each step she took. Hot tears ran down the side of her face, clouding her line of vision more so than the falling rain. It really did not matter though; she was running to no particular place. There was no place she could go. Uncle Ay would send her straight back home, Annika had her own family, Anzu's parents would send back home as well and going back to that place was the last place she wanted to go to. Home meant oppression and unhappiness. She refused to give up her wishes and marry Jarha. It just would never happen. She did not love him and never would. 

'If only father could understand my feelings but there is no way I can tell him the truth about the Pharaoh and I. To him, I am just refusing the marriage proposal just to spite him. But I am not, that could no be further from the truth. I do not love Jarha. Sure in front of father he seems like the ideal husband, but that not the case. I know what his soul says. I am just an object to him, someone he can mold into the traditional wife who will take care of the kids and look good in front of his important friends. Well I refuse to submit myself to that lifestyle. I am not giving up my beliefs, morals, and thoughts. They are mine and if Jarha cannot accept that they we have no business dating or marrying for that matter. But father does not see that. He sees a man who can give me a life most woman only dream of, a life of comfort and security. But every dream comes with a price, and that life is my whole being. Sorry father, that is not worth it to me. Only if you could see how Yugioh treats me. Then you would understand what I want from life. He accepts me for me and encourages me to follow my dreams. Only if society were not so judgmental then maybe things would be so less complicated. But even if society understands, father probably never would. He is set on me marrying Jarha. He made his views perfectly clear to me. I follow orders or get out. Running was my only option. I am not compromising on this.' Ruia thought as she continued weaving through the town. 

She ran only the outskirts of town before collapsing against a tree in painful sobs. A large tear cascaded down her check, mixing with her salty tears. 

'Wonderful rain.' She thought sourly. Only hours before, she remembered how she loved the rain, now she despised it. It reminded her of her sadness, her own tears. Ruia sighed heavily and wrapped her arms around her legs. 'What am I going to do? Where am I going to live?' The rain poured harder, soaking Ruia to the bone. The rain was cold, but yet she remained in her fetal position. There was no place she could go. Her father did not understand so home was not an option, society would never accept her for what she was, and she had no money with her; she was truly ostracized. 

'Well I guess I got my wish. I am going to get to see the world.' She dug her feet into the wet sand. 'But now that I have the chance, the opportunity…I do not want it anymore. How can I leave everything I love behind – Uncle Ay, Anzu, my friends, Father, and Yugioh?' Despite the overwhelming sense of confusion and despair she was feeling, a small smile managed somehow to briefly creep onto her face. If there was ever a moment she need to see Yugioh, to hear his reassuring voice and be held in his strong, warm arms, now was the time. Maybe then the confusion could just disappear, even if it was for only a moment in time. He loved her for what she was. He did not care if she was traditional or proper. Jarha was trying to change her, mold her into the perfect wife. She hated that. Ruia refused to let that happen, not without a fight at least. She wanted someone to love her, not love her for what she represented. 

'Who am I kidding? There is no one in the world that would accept me for who I am. Even if the impossible happened and Yugioh and I married, I would have to change, follow the traditions of royalty. I refuse to do that. I do not care what father wants. I will not marry for anything but for respect and love, true and unconditional love. But does such a person exist? Maybe I am wrong. What if there is no one out there that will accept me and embrace me. Maybe I am destined for nothing but pain. No, it is not I who is wrong; it is society and its rules. If only people could understand that royalty and commoners could fall in love and be perfectly happy then maybe the frustration I feel would disappear. Things would be simple, my path clearer. But none of this can ever happen; we cannot ruin the pure royal bloodlines, hence why siblings normally marry siblings. But things should not be like that. Marriage should be about love – not status, money, or power. And everyone wants me to marry Jarha for those last three reasons. Well I am sorry father. That will never happen. I will just leave – forever.' 

But yet, Ruia made no attempt to move from her spot. The rain had long seeped through her clothes and onto her skin, but Ruia barely felt it. All she felt was the suffocating dread that had built itself into the pit of her stomach. The realization that she had no options, no home, and no money weighed heavily on her shoulders. She was so lost, but yet she refused t compromise her standards, principles, and beliefs. She would rather freeze than go home. 

Ruia raised her head slightly, hoping to catch a glimpse of the nighttime sky to give her comfort. Not a single star was able to shimmer through the stormy, overcast sky. 'Great, all I need now is lightening.' Ruia sighed. Her hopes and dreams were flowing away with the rain. If she did not make a decision soon, fate was going to make one for her. She had two options – marry Jarha or staying outside and face certain death. 'As much as I hate to admit it, death seems like my best option. Well if that is going to be the case, Memphis is not going to be the place I give in. I will run before that, to Greece, Rome wherever, but I am not staying here. I will work along the way, earning money will my art and singing to pay for my travels.' 

Ruia tried to stand but found herself unable to do so. 'How can I just leave Anzu and Yugioh behind like that? It will kill them for me to have suddenly disappeared with out a trace and not tell them where I was heading. Father will be just as concerned, despite what he said to me. I hope at least. But what can I do? Staying here is not an option, but where else can I go?' Her head spun making her feel light headed and dizzy. Rubbing her forehead, Ruia curled up tighter into a ball, trying to fight back the chills. Taking a deep breath, she tried desperately to calm down, failing miserably. 

"Someone help me…. I am so confused." 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ 

Yugioh rode back from Alexandria, glad that he had a cover over him from the rain. He felt sorry for his guards and Bakura who did not have anything, but at least they were nearing Memphis and would be home soon. The rain this season was abnormally cold and with night approaching, it would be even colder soon. He stared out at the landscape, enjoying the steady rainfall. Not only was it necessary to his lands, but also a storm had helped bring him and Ruia together. For that reason alone, the rain brought sweet memories to mind. Now that he had this week totally free, he thought of all the time he could spend with Ruia. His birthday was later this week and hers the following. He definitely wanted to do something then. 

"Yugioh!" 

Yugioh turned sharply and quickly expecting news of bandits in the area. What he got was something far worse. Bakura rode next to him, panic written across his normally calm features. "Bakura! What is it? What is wrong?" 

"Yugioh do not panic but I had a vision. Ruia was in it." 

The color from Yugioh's face drained, his blood turning cold. "What happened? Where is she?" 

"My King, you must remain calm. I saw her curled beneath a tree somewhere outside the town. She was soaking wet and shivering as if she had been out in this rain for quite some time, hours perhaps." Bakura paused before continuing. "Yugioh, she was crying and asking for help. I cannot pinpoint her exact location but I can sense the inner turmoil her soul is under taking. She is scared and lonely." 

Yugioh did not know what to think. 'Ruia scared? But that does not make any sense. She is the most fearless person I have ever met. Something horrible most have happened to her if it broken her spirit like that. But the question is, what.' "HONDA!" 

Honda rode up. "What is it Pharaoh?" 

"Send the troops on to Memphis. You, Bakura, and I have another mission to complete. If the troops argue, it is by order of the Pharaoh. Do you understand?" 

"Yes." Honda's eyes widen in surprise at Yugioh's tone. It was commanding granted, but there a hint of fear and apprehension mixed in as well. "What is wrong Yugioh?" Bakura was wearing the same expression as Yugioh. Something had obvious worried the two men and whatever that was, Honda was sure he was not going to like it as well. 

Finally Bakura answered him, sensing that Yugioh was too lost in his own thoughts to know that Honda had even spoken to him. "The feeling I had been about Ruia. I just received a vision about her. She is in trouble. She is somewhere out in this story all alone, confused about something." 

Honda gulped. Despite everything he had called Ruia, he still felt an overwhelming urge to protect her, like a brother would. The feeling tripled when he learned that she was innocent of playing mind games with Yugioh. He had yet to apologize. Grasping Yugioh's wrist, he made sure to make firm eye contact before speaking. "We will find her Yugioh even if it means staying out all night. I will not quit until Ruia is safe and sound." 

"Thank you Honda." Yugioh whispered, praying the nervousness he felt did not resound in his voice. Every second that past; Ruia was still alone and cold. It tore at his heart to think his love was in such a state of depression. He could not understand why she had not gone home, to Anzu's, or even her uncle's. Something horrible, big must have happened while he was away. And whatever that was, it managed to reduce Ruia to tears. He was not sure if he wanted to know what it was that broke her. Yugioh was not sure if he himself could handle it. 

'If it broke Ruia…' 

He shook the thought from his head. He needed to be strong for his girlfriend, no matter what. He could not be on the verge of hysterics. Though, that is exactly what he felt like doing. 

Honda rode back over to he and Bakura. "Troops are on their way back to the palace." He stared at his two friends. "Any idea where to begin the search?" 

Yugioh nodded. "Though our normal location is flooded by now, I am sure Ruia would head in that general location subconsciously, especially if what Bakura saw is accurate. In her state, I doubt it registrar that our place is under water. We will start in that general location and work our way back to the city limits." 

"Sounds like a reasonable plan." Bakura said, agreeing. 

As Yugioh turned his horse, one thought echoed in his mind. 'Hold on my love, I am coming. Just hold on for a little bit longer.' 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ 

Ruia had long forgotten about the rain or even the constant shivering. She no longer felt the coldness that racked her body. Resting her head on her arms, her sobs slowly reduced themselves to silent tears. 'What am I going to do?' She felt so tired, so weak. 'May…maybe I can take just a little nap.' 

She had just begun to close her eyes when she felt something wrap around her shoulders. A hand gently grasped her shoulder and shook her lightly, trying to arise her out of her fetal position. Dimly she heard a voice call out to her as the hand continued to try to get some type of response out of her. She was too tired to answer though, even though she felt someone wrapping his or her arms around her shaking frame. 

"Dear Ra…she is…so cold." 

Raising her head slightly, she blinked the rain and tears out of her eyes as best she could. Either a fever was setting in or the rain was just blurring her vision that badly because all she saw was the color yellow mixed with a haze of purple. "Just…a…dream." 

Yugioh blinked in surprise and pulled his cloak tighter around Ruia. She was so cold in his arms, the chills shaking her tiny frame. "No sweetheart, I am really here." He could not believe how calm his voice sounded. He was anything but calm. It had taken Honda, Bakura and he a little over an hour to find Ruia. And by the time they had, he was sure they were too late. When he had first seen her, she was not moving. He was sure he had lost her, but thankfully that was not the case. The cloak she had been wearing was soaked and limp, giving his girlfriend no warmth or protection what so ever. Just holding her, he could feel how cold her body had managed to get. Rubbing her arms, he tried desperately to warm her up. 

"Do…not…leave…me." 

Yugioh swallowed deeply. "I promise Ruia. You have my word." He kissed her gently on her forehead. "We better get you out of the rain before you get even sicker." 

"I…will…not…marry…him." Ruia whispered, looking at Yugioh. "No…one…will…make…me" 

"Marry?" Yugioh felt his own blood freeze. Ruia was going to marry someone. For the moment, even he had forgotten about the rain. The thought of losing her to another man made him sick. He could not imagine life without Ruia, though the two had discussed it many times before. It was a reality he did not want to accept. 

Ruia leaned against Yugioh; tears streaming down her face faster than even the rain could keep up with. She was grateful that her love was with her. As long as he was with her, then everything was perfect in the world. But she knew that could not be farther from the truth. "Yes, marriage. But I will not go through with it." 

"Why not?" Inside, Yugioh could not be happier. He could not lose Ruia, not just yet. He loved her far too much to lose her to someone else. He knew deep in his own heart that she could not love that other man as much as she did him. It might have sounded selfish, but he could see it in her actions. He rubbed her back gently, trying to keep her warm. 

"We should get her some place warm Pharaoh." Another voice said suddenly, breaking into the two's conversation jarring them out of their private world. 

Ruia shifted in Yugioh's arms trying to see where the voice was coming from. "Bakura? Is that you?" she whispered, confused. She tried to focus on the forms in front of her, but the images stayed blurry. 

"Ai Ruia, Honda is here as well." He replied keeping his voice low as not to startle Ruia further. He could tell without even really examining her that she was in bad shape. They needed to get her out of the rain as quickly as possible. 

"You are right of course Bakura. We better get her back to her house or her Uncle's at least. She cannot stay out here much longer." 

"NO!" Ruia weakly struggled against Yugioh trying to move from his strong arms. "I will not go home. I will not compromise my beliefs. I would rather stay out then to ever go home!" 

Yugioh glanced at Bakura and Honda before looking down at Ruia. Softly he rocked her, trying to calm her down. He was not sure if she was acting out in frustration or from the fever he was sure she had. Light heat radiated from her body as he held her. "Shh, relax Ruia. You are going to make yourself sicker than you already are. Now why do you not want to go home?" 

"I will not marry Jarha, no matter what father says." Ruia's face tightened in rage, not caring who was around her. "I do not love Jarha; I love you." 

Yugioh eyes widen in surprise. 'Jarha? My High Priest and Ruia, together in marriage? No it cannot be. She must mean someone else. Unless, this is why she hid the fact from me that she was being courted because the other man was my own High Priest. Why did I not see it before? All those times Jarha went to see his future wife; it was Ruia all along. I will not allow it. I cannot lose her.' He brushed a piece of hair out of Ruia's eyes. "I love you too." He looked at his two friends and mouthed. 'We will ask her about Jarha later.' He smiled down at Ruia. "Okay, I will not take you home if you do not want to go there, but we need to get you out of the cold." He lifted her tiny frame into his arms. 

Honda brought the horse over to the young couple and steadied it as Yugioh placed Ruia on top before climbing up himself. "Where are we going to take her Pharaoh? If she refuses to go home or to her uncle's, there are not too many locations left to take her." 

"I have already thought of that Honda." He held Ruia against him as he took the reins back from Honda. "I cannot let her stay out here though. She will surely freeze to death and in her state of mind too…" Yugioh trailed off. "I can not leave her out here. I could never do that to her." 

"What are you planning Yugioh?" Bakura asked. 

"Well the way I see it, there is only one other place that we can take Ruia. The Palace." 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ 

Athena yawned as she shuffled to her door. She could not imagine who could be there at this hour in the night. Glancing out the window, she could see that it was still quite dark out. Opening the door, Athena was greeted with a pacing Bakura. "Do you have any idea what time it is?" 

"Athena, thank Ra. I know it is so late, but we really need your help, right now." 

"What is wrong? Is it the Pharaoh?" She could hear the nervousness in Bakura's voice as she shut her room door behind her. Her bluish-purple eyes searched the hallways for the crowned Pharaoh. 

"He is down in Setto's room Athena." Bakura said, noting that Athena was searching for him. "Yugioh is fine. It is not he who is in trouble, rather someone from all our pasts. Please, just come with me and what you see in there, you have to swear to me Athena, you will not tell a soul. It is imperative that you do not." 

Athena hesitated. 'What is going on? Why are they in Setto's room? He is not even here. Bakura and Yugioh obviously want to keep something hidden, so Setto's room makes sense, but what is there?' She looked at Bakura. 'Or maybe it is not a what, but a who.' Athena smiled. Someone from the past, it made sense. "Okay Bakura, you have my word. I shall reveal nothing I see, not even to Ryou." 

"Thank you Athena." He led her down to Setto's room and knocked once. The door swung open and Honda ushered them in. "How is she?" 

"Yugioh has her wrapped in several blankets right now trying to keep her warm but she is still shaking horribly. Hello Athena, um welcome to best kept secret in the palace." 

Athena blinked. "Um, thanks, care to fill in the clueless here?" 

Bakura nodded. "I guess it is only fair. A few years ago, well close to ten years, you meet a young girl by the name of Ruia Ana, correct?" 

"Well yes, spirited child she was." Athena smiled at the memory. She knew Ruia was special, she just knew that girl was destined for greatness. She could feel it deep down in her very soul. 

"Well I understand that Yugioh's and Ruia's first meeting was spiteful, as well as wet. But what if I told you something had changed and as time passed, they became friends and well eventually fell in love?" 

"I would laugh, but coming from you Bakura, I would believe it. So Ruia is here now? Why though?" 

Honda continued the story. "She ran away from home, apparently because her father is forcing her to marry a man whom she does not love. We think it very well maybe Yugioh's third High Priest, Jarha. Both she and Yugioh do realize nothing can come from their relationship, but Ruia insists she can never love anyone but Yugioh. He insists the same with loving Ruia. Anyway, we found her on our way back from Alexandria; the meetings were delayed. She must have been in the cold rain for a good couple hour. Bakura already diagnosed her with a slight fever." 

"And where do I fit in?" 

"She needs to warm up quickly. I thought a hot bath would help but…" Bakura blushed. 

"Three guys, I get it. She is also going to need dry clothes and towels. Bakura, will you please get them from my room? Honda, I need you to go retrieve the water for me and then walk around the hallway out there. Let no one in." 

"Sure." Both men replied and hurried from the room. 

Athena smiled and moved towards Yugioh, who was sitting on the bed rocking Ruia lovingly in his arms. She could see the concern etched into his features as he held Ruia close, desperate to keep her warm. "Yugioh, Honda is going to bring some hot water, we will try that to get Ruia to warm her up all right." 

"Thank you Athena." 

Ruia shifted slightly in Yugioh's arms. "Hello again Athena. It has been some time since we last saw one another has it not." Ruia whispered. 

Athena smiled. "Ai, it has. I hear you two have had quite some time together. Thrown him into any fountains lately?" 

Ruia chuckled as Yugioh blushed. "He knows better than to make me mad." 

"I bet he does. Think you can stand? Honda is bringing warm water up. I heard you enjoy sitting in cold rain." 

Ruia moved out of Yugioh's arms. With a small grin, Ruia looked at Athena. "You heard wrong." 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ 

Ruia tossed and turned in the bed. 'No matter how hard I want sleep to claim me, it has yet to come. There is too much in my head right now. I know it is only a matter of time before Yugioh gets around to asking me about Jarha. I cannot answer those questions; they are just too painful.' Shrugging off the blankets, Ruia slipped out of the bed. Glancing around the room, she could not find her bag anywhere. 'I cannot stay here; I have to leave. But where is my bag?' 

Her cloak lay carefully across the back of a chair. It was still a little wet, but she didn't care. She shrugged it over the white gown Athena had lent her. 'I guess I have to leave my belongings behind. I cannot wait till morning to find it. I am so sorry Yugioh, but I cannot impose on you or put you in such a compromising position. If someone were to learn I was here, you would be ruined: socially, politically, and mentally. I cannot do that to you. 

Tip toeing out into the hallway; Ruia was relieved to see that no one was around. Slipping into the shadows, Ruia inched her way down the west wing hallway. Now all she had to do was find an exit and she was home free. Where she would go, she still had no idea, but she would concern herself with that knowledge much later. 'Okay, I am lost in a gigantic palace with no idea how to get out. Now, which hallway should I choose, one, two, or three?' 

"I knew you would try to leave tonight. Come out from the shadows Ruia Ana." 

Ruia sighed. She should have known. Defeated, Ruia step out of the shadows and turned towards Yugioh sheepishly. "How…how did you know that I would leave?" 

Yugioh smiled and placed Ruia's bag down next to him. "It was not that hard. I know you better than yourself I think Ruia. You are not the type to sit around when something is bugging you. But running is not the answer sweetheart, especially in this rain and with your fever nonetheless." He moved over to Ruia and wrapped his arms around her shoulders. "You worry me sometimes." 

"I am an adult Yugioh, I can take care of myself." Ruia huffed but found she could not stay mad at Yugioh. She just could not. He was just looking out for her. Besides, she did not mind being in Yugioh's arms either. She was freezing and being against his bare chest made her feel warmer. 'Bare chest…oh dear Sekhmet.' Ruia felt her checks turn crimson. 'Breathe Ruia girl. Just ignore the fact that the one you love so dearly is not wearing his neckpiece and concentrate on getting out of the palace.' 

"I know you are an adult, but there are times you surely don't act like one." He removed the cloak from her shoulders and tossed it back into his room. "That cloak of yours is soaking wet. Having it around your shoulders will only make you feel worse." Yugioh stroked her wet hair. "Just what am I going to do with you?" He tried to resist the urge to lift her into his arms and kiss her all night long. She was gorgeous even in her weaken condition. Maybe it was the gown she was wearing or her fierce determination but whatever it truly was, Yugioh knew he could love no one else like her. 

Ruia thought. "I do not know. Maybe let…." She trailed off at the sound of approaching footsteps. "Yugioh…" 

"I hear them too." He guided her into a small passage and stood in front of her, holding her as close as he could, making sure the two were safely concealed in the shadows. 

"Yugioh, my bag. It is still out there." 

"Pray they do not see it. Now hush." 

Ruia clamped her mouth shut, slowly becoming aware of how close together they really were. She rested her head against his chest, enjoying the moment despite how series the situation really was. Her one hand laid against his chest as well as the other was wrapped loosely around his waist. 

'Dear Ra please do not let my guards find Ruia and I. There is no way I can explain her to them. No one would understand us.' He kissed the top of her head softly and rubbed the small of her back. 'Ra I love her, but what am I going to do. She is set on leaving. There has to be a way to convince her to stay. I cannot lose her.' He did not even realize that he was kissing her again on the forehead until he felt her shift slightly. 

Ruia smiled as she felt Yugioh kiss her. 'Ok, fight the impulse to kiss him back. Remember you have to leave him and kissing him will not help that. But why not have a little fun anyway?' Taking her fingernail, she drew little circles on Yugioh's chest, grinning softly to herself as she felt him go rigid in surprise. Chucking, she continued. 

"Did you hear that?" 

Ruia's eyes open in shock. The guards! 'How could I be so careless? We are going to be caught for sure!" She whimpered. 'What to do, what to do?' 

Yugioh tighten his grip and moved Ruia further back in the small space. "Shh." He looked down at her, noticing the fear on her face. "I will not let anything happen to you. Calm down love." He whispered. 

"I guess it was nothing. Let's just continue our rounds." 

Yugioh sighed softly in relief as he heard the footsteps move farther away from the two. He could feel Ruia shaking in his arms. "Relax, it is okay. We are safe now." 

"I know, thank you." Ruia was amazed at how calm she sounded. She was not completely sure what was making her more scared, the thought of almost being caught or at how close she was to Yugioh. 

"I would do anything for you." He brushed a piece of hair out her eyes. The intensity in her eyes was memorizing. Slowly he leaned forward. His lips captured hers in a delicate kiss. Only when did he feel Ruia return the kiss did he start kissing her harder. He moved his hand and rubbed her back. 

Ruia continued her kiss and wrapped her arms around Yugioh's neck. She did not want to stop, even though she knew she had too. It would be too hard to leave him if she continued this. But she found, she could not stop. 

Finally, Yugioh slowly pulled back, smiling at his love. "Come on, it is not safe out here." Grasping her hand tightly, he lead her back into the hallway, stopping long enough to grab Ruia's bag before entering his chambers. He walked over to a small couch and sat down, pulling Ruia into his arms. "You should not be out of bed. Now, explain to me why you think it is worth risking your health to go back outside and leave Memphis." 

"It is like what I said outside. I know you and the others must have felt it was my fever talking, but it was not. Father is forcing me to marry your High Priest Jarha. I cannot do that Yugioh. I do not love him, never have and never will. There is only one person in this world that I love and that is you no matter what father or the fates say." Ruia saw no point in lying now. Yugioh probably had already guessed most of the truth. 

"The fates? What do you mean?" Yugioh asked, generally confused. 'Could it be? Could Ruia actually be the one I have been searching for all this time?' 

"Nothing, I was just ranting." Ruia replied, realizing her mistake. She sighed. "Anyway, tonight or yesterday I guess, Jarha proposed to me. He did not want an answer right now; he wanted to wait till he returned from his trip. After he left, I told father that I did not want to marry him. Of course he was furious, demanding to know why. I could not tell him the truth about us so father did not understand my reasons. I guess not loving someone is not a good enough answer in his book. So we had another fight, which escalated into him saying that if I could not follow his rules than I should just get out of his house, so I did. I was so distraught I had no idea what I was doing, so I just ran and ran until I collapsed. Then you, Bakura, and Honda found me some time later I guess." 

"He kicked you out?" Yugioh tighten his grip. What hell had Ruia been living these past few years? He could not imagine a father kicking his own child out of their house. 

"As soon as he said it, he apologized. I was just too mad to hear him out. Maybe I was wrong, but I cannot continue living there, Yugioh. I refuse to compromise my beliefs." 

"And is there any doubts why I love you. Most people would have given in, but not you." 

"And see where it has left me?" Ruia groaned. 

"Of course I do, with me." 

Ruia smiled. "You always know what to say to make me feel better you know that." 

Yugioh grinned and cupped her chin in his hands. "Is that not a requirement of soul mates?" 

Ruia blushed. "I love you Palace Brat." 

"I love you to commoner." Yugioh kissed her again, harder this time. 'This is not good, if this keeps up, I may never let her go again.' He hungry continued kissing her, then moved away from her sweet lips and moved to her neck and shoulder. 

Ruia arched her back, allowing Yugioh more exposure to her neck. His kisses felt so warm, so passionate. She never wanted to move from his arms. 'This is getting dangerous girl. You can not stay here.' "Yugioh, stop. I cannot stay here. If I do, I may never leave." 

"Is that so bad?" 

"Yugioh, we both know…" 

Yugioh sighed. "I know." 

Ruia moved from his arms and stood. Grabbing her bag she started for the door. She turned and started at Yugioh. 'Do not make this more painful than it already is girl. Just go girl.' But Ruia could not move. Her heart was breaking. 

"Where will you go?" 

Ruia gulped. "I am not sure. Greece, Rome, who knows really. But maybe it is for the best that you do not know. If I told you, I know you would try to come after me. And do not deny it Yugioh, I know you would." She could feel the heat begin to suffocate her. She could not do this. 

"Ruia…." Yugioh looked down. There was nothing he could say to her. He knew she would follow her instincts and right now, they were telling her to run. 'She is smart. Ruia will be okay.' But as he said that, he knew that was not true. Ruia was acting without thinking everything through. 

"I am sorry my love. Honestly." She started to swing her bag on her shoulder when she thought better of it. Opening the bag, she looked inside. "I would like Aristae back now." 

Yugioh sighed. "It was going to be my last bargaining chip. Guess that plan failed." Moving to his bedchamber, he grabbed the doll and carried to back to her. 

Ruia stared at her doll, then at Yugioh. "Keep it." She whispered. 

"Come again?" 

"Keep her, to remember me by." 

Yugioh nodded, hugging the door close to him. "I will miss you." 

"I will miss you too." Tears threatened to fall once again. Sudden chills over took her small frame. Dropping her bag, Ruia shivered rubbing her arms. 

Placing Aristae down, Yugioh moved towards Ruia. "I knew you were still cold." Yugioh whispered as he wrapped his arms tightly around Ruia's shivering body. "You are going to make yourself even sicker." He fought against the impulse to kiss on her lips again. Twice already he had to force himself to stop; he doubted he could do it a third time. Though it was getting harder and harder to fight the urges. 

"I will be alright." She sighed contently as she felt his hand gently rub her back, trying to keep her warm. 'I cannot leave him. I have no idea what to do now, but I know now I have to stay. I cannot leave my soul mate. It is not fair to him, Ay, Anzu, or even my father if I suddenly disappeared.' 

"No you need to get some sleep and stay warm. We will discuss your leaving in the morning. Together we will think of something. Just know this, even if you fled and did not tell me where you went, I would try to find you. I love you that much." 

"I love you too, which is why I do not want to leave anymore." Ruia cried. 

"Shh, rest now. We will figure out your problems in the morning…together I promise." 

"Thank you." 

Lifting her tiny frame into his arms, he carried Ruia over to his bed. Yugioh smiled as she snuggled against him, resting her head against his shoulder. Gently he placed her on the bed and drew the warm blue blankets up around her. "Sleep." He begged, placing a hand to her face hoping she would take his advice. 

"Wait." Ruia grabbed his arm as she sat up. "I cannot take your bed. Where are you going to sleep? I will just go back to Setto's room." 

Yugioh smiled. "And risk being caught with some other guards or have you sneak out on me again? No way. I will just sleep on the couch in the other room. Do not worry Ruia. I will be all right. Just rest, please. You were out in the cold for a long time. I do not want your fever to get any worse. I am not sure what I would do if something happened to you." He admitted honestly as he looked down at his feet. It was becoming harder and harder not to kiss her. Even his thoughts were betraying him. 'Just kiss her, you know you want to.' 

Ruia stared at him. The silence was unnerving as she wrestled with her own personal feelings. The kisses they had shared already were different than any other. They were more passionate, hungrier. She wanted more of them. 'This is wrong and you know it. But I can not deny what the heart longs for.' "Stay." She finally answered. 

"What?" 

"Stay." She replied again, making sure to make eye contact. 

Yugioh sat down on the bed and stared into her violet orbs making sure he heard correctly. Before he could reason with himself or Ruia changed her mind, he leaned forward and hungrily pressed his lips to hers once more. 

Ruia moved the blankets that were between them as she felt Yugioh pull her into his lap. The kisses came faster, more passionate as he caressed her thigh that was wrapped around his waist. Ruia moaned softly as his kisses moved from her lips to down her neck and onto her shoulder. There was no denying it. He wanted her as much as she needed him. 

Yugioh leaned forward, careful not to hurt Ruia as they fell back against the cool sheets. Breaking momentarily from the kissing, he pulled up and smiled lovingly at her. Her eyes danced with fiery passion and breaths coming out in slow rhythmic pants. Reaching over, he distinguished the candle next to them, sending the room into total darkness. Settling back atop her, he continued to fulfill their truest desire.   


**Question and Answer:******

**AG the master** - sorry for scaring you, lol but thank you for the compliment. 

**blackhawk **- sorry for the long wait, but such is college. The sequel should be posted once this story is completed. And as a rough estimate, I have about 15+ more chapters here. (I got inspired) I was a little off in my estimate of ten chapters before. But i have every intention of doing it still, believe me. My roommate would kill me if I did not.****

**Lori Kimaya **- okay Ryou is actually the Yami in this story. I was not used to Japanese or Manga verison till after Family History was completed. So in this story, Bakura is the person and Ryou is the tomb raider and eventually be the spirit in the ring. I know that has to be confusing, I blame the dubbers, lol. OF course, now that i have seen the Japanese, I have a hard time keeping it straight now. Oi. 

**Mutou Yasu** - Mai will be in the sequel and have a large role in the story. As for Joey's kid sister, never really considered putting her in, but now that you have suggested it, I will try to find a place for her, Duke as well. I like both characters so I promise to add her in some way. 

**Anonymous **- heh, Jarha will get what is coming to him and for Yugioh, well he definitely will be colder in furhter chapters. I have to explain the whole Kaiba/Yami past battle somehow and I do have a way in mind, but suggestions are always welcomed. I aim to please.   
  



	11. Age Fifteen: Destiny Fulfilled

Disclaimer: don't own nothing and what ever money I have, college seems to think it owns so if you want to sue me, you will have to fight it out with them on who gets what little money I have. 

Author's Note: *wave flag* don't hurt me...I know I left off at a crutical point, but I have a good reason. I am taking a summer class and I had a huge project worth 50% of my grade and that took up the majority of my time. 

Also, many thanks to Sparky16 who helped me rpg out some of this chapter. Ashina belongs to her. 

Many thanks to my roomie as well for a) yelling at me to get this posted and b) editing some of my work...you are falling way behind in our contest for a chapter for a chapter! 

I apologize for any grammer and misspelled words, it is 3:30am when I finished typing this, I know I must have missed things when I proofread. Okay, enough chatter, on with the chapter. 

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Yugioh leaned against the wall gazing out over the horizon of his city. Golden rays bounced off the massive buildings giving the lands a majestic look. It still felt a little strange calling it his city, despite being Pharaoh for close to six months now, but slowly, things were coming into perspective. He understood where he stood in life now and who belonged at his side to rule with him. And even though he and Ruia could never marry, he knew deep in his heart she would be his only love. No one else could make him feel like she was able to do. They belonged together and not even the Divine Mother could change that. 

'Oh Ruia…you have only been gone a few short hours but already it seems like eternity. And to think, I may never be able to hold you in my arms like that again. But at least we will always have that one night together. No one can take those memories from us.' 

Last night had been incredible to say the least: all the revelations, the thought of losing her to lands unknown, all the kisses, and, of course the intimacy. He was still having a difficult time comprehending that she had truly spent the night here in the palace with him, snuggled up close as they slept. 

'If anyone was to learn that Ruia was here last night or even find out we were together, I fear what would happen to her. Still though, waking next to her, seeing the content look on her sleeping face was well worth any of the risks we took. She felt safe with me. I could see it in her eyes. Ruia had no fears about staying with me; she knew I would protect her. And her safety is the most important thing to me, which is why no one will ever learn what transpired last night, not even Setto.' 

Still, he had to accept the reality that she was going to marry someone else, most likely his own High Priest. That was the most difficult fact to swallow. Anyone else, he could have dealt with, but to know that Jarha was in love with the same woman he was and was going to win her just because of social standings; it made him sick. It had taken him most of the early morning hours to convince Ruia to go back home, even though that was the last thing he wanted her to do. He did not dare bring up Jarha's name when he persuaded her to return to her father's residency. He knew that would never convince her plus in would just remind Ruia of the inevitable, not to mention it would have been a losing battle, one he personally did not mind losing at all. However, he could not afford that, Ruia need to return home and talk to her family. At first, Ruia had not wanted to return home, but after a little persuasion he convinced her to return home and talk things out with her father. 

'I never knew how stubborn Ruia could be till that conversation.' Yugioh shook his head. He smiled happily knowing that Ruia would still be in Memphis for some time. 'She was right though. If she had left, I definitely would have looked for her and continued to do so until I found her. I just cannot picture her in my life. I know we seldom see one another, but just knowing that there is some small chance of seeing her, to hold her in my arms, to make her fears disappear; well that makes this whole situation worth it to me. And if that shred of hope was gone or taken from me, then I am truly not sure what I will do. I just cannot picture life without Ruia anymore.' 

"Gorgeous day no?" a sudden voice whispered silkily into Yugioh's ear. 

Yugioh jarred out of his thoughts as he felt two slender arms wrap around his waist and a check rest against his arm. For the briefest of moments, Yugioh felts his heart pound in excitement and horror. 'Ruia would not have slipped back through the secret passage way in the west wing would she? She knows she cannot risk coming back here, right?' Yugioh felt his throat tighten in fear. It was then he caught glance of the raven colored hair. Inwardly he grimaced. "Ai it is Satire. What are you doing here today? Your brother is out of town attending meetings." 

Satire tossed her hair back behind her head and smiled brightly at the Pharaoh. "You are correct my Lord, he is, but when I heard your trip had to be delayed due to poor traveling conditions, I thought I would visit and keep you…_entertain_." She purred, staring deep into Yugioh's violet orbs. Running her fingers up his arm, Satire leaned closer. "I promise, you will not be _disappointed_." 

For the first time in his life, Yugioh was thankful for Qaa teachings. Thanks to him, Yugioh easily hide the disgust from reaching his face, though maybe then Satire would finally get the hint that she did not have a future with him, though he doubted it highly. No matter what he did or said, she did not seem to grasp the concept that he would never love her or marry her. But that did not faze her in the least bit; she just continued on with her little game of seduction. Yugioh refused to have any part in the competition. It was not that Satire was not attractive; most boys would have been flatter to have a girl like Satire in their lives, but lives should not be built on appearances alone. He felt that a relationship should be founded on many levels, most importantly on common interest and to his knowledge- he and Satire had none. Satire was traditional, minus the seductive behavior. She let people control her destiny, rather than forging her own path. That is why he loved Ruia so much; she was different, unique. She lived by her own principles and followed the paths she thought were in her best interests. And once she had decided on something, no one could change her mind, not even Yugioh really. This mornings discussion was only a fluke, he knew Ruia wanted to go home too; she was just too stubborn to admit it herself. "That will not be necessary Satire, I have other arrange…" 

Satire placed a finger to Yugioh's lips. "All work and no play make you a very dull boy Yugioh." She smirked. 'He will be mine yet.' 

'Then call me dull.' Yugioh thought sourly. He ran his free hand through his hair. He did not need to deal with this, not now. "I have responsibilities that cannot be ignore Satire. Just because my trip to Alexandria was postponed, that does not mean I do not have other duties that I can simply ignore. My country needs me." 

"I am sure you country will not mind if you took the day off for a little _fun_. After all, we need a little human companionship every once in awhile. I promise, I will make it worth your wild." She whispered with a gleam in her eye. 'Come on Yugioh, take the bait; I know you want too. Give into your desires. And once you do, you will be mine, forever.' 

Yugioh glanced down at Satire in utter disbelief. 'Is there not stop end to desperation?' He sighed. "No thank you Satire, I have other matters that are more pressing and that need my immediate attention. I bid you good day." Moving quickly from her embrace, Yugioh slipped back inside the palace, utterly relieved to be away from Satire. 

Satire smiled as she sat atop the stonewall, watching her Pharaoh head inside. 'He is nearly mine. It is becoming more and more difficult from him to resist me. It is only a matter of time before he gives into his hidden desires and when he is ready, I will be waiting. But I must admit, the chase is as much fun as the victory.' She paused. 'Then again, probably not, I will to it personally that our time together will be nothing like Yugioh has ever experienced. After all, he will be my husband and I his loving, commanding, and beautiful Queen. It is as destiny wills. Yugioh will not be able to resist me' 

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Ruia sat at the table deep in concentration. Her eyes flickered across the papyrus with a skilled and knowing glance. There was something about the drawing that just was not right. She stared at Yugioh's chiseled face. Tapping her finger to her cheek, she realized that was the problem, the expression was wrong. She just could not seem to capture what she saw last night the concern in his eyes, the neediness, and the of course the loneliness. It was difficult to present such raw emotions in the drawing, those characteristics rarely surfaced in her boyfriend. And that is why she could not resist the urge to draw him, seeing those looks, it was like, Yugioh had given her a glimpse into what he really was. Sure he was a powerful and confident ruler of all Egypt, but Yugioh was also human. He had fears, doubts, and needs as well as anybody. And last night, Ruia had seen and experienced that first hand. 

Nibbling on her lower lip, Ruia found herself smiling as she thought of her lover. Ra she missed him so much, even though she had just left him only hours before. Still though, waking in his arms, his sparking violet eyes being the first imagine to see, the warm gentle good morning kiss, and the feeling of tranquility, she found herself longing to wake like that every morning. 'If only that was possible I guess I should be grateful for one night with him. I know there will not be another.' 

She stared back down at the picture. 'I still have no idea how Yugioh convinced me to come home as easily as he did. I guess I did not want to leave either once I slept on it. I could not just leave my friends and family behind just like that. I almost made one of the biggest mistakes of my life because Father could not understand what I want in life. I was not being fair to him. He does not know that I am in love with the Pharaoh and never shall. I should have taken that into consideration before I lost my temper and ran. Father does love me, even though he is not the best at showing it. I should have known that he did not mean it when he said to leave. I just hope things are not too late to repair. I still have so much to explain to him and this morning, nothing got accomplished.' Ruia thought with a small sigh. She was wake when her father came down for work in the morning. The two had stared at one another, neither offering any sign of remorse, though she swore she could briefly see a look of relief cross his face before returning to his unreadable state. All he had said to her was that they would talk when he returned. 

'And I just cannot wait for that talk.' Ruia thought sourly. 'Hopefully things will be all right and I am worrying for nothing, but if I am not, I do not even want to see the caliber our fight reaches too.' 

"You draw the Pharaoh beautifully little Rose. But I wonder how can you draw such emotion like that? It is as if you know him personally or something." Ay said, taking a seat across from his niece. 

Ruia jumped slightly, from shock that she had not sensed that her uncle was in the room and at how close he was at actually guessing the truth. "I wish I knew him personally; imagine having such an honor." She replied carefully choosing her words and hiding her emotion. She knew she had to be on guard with her uncle; he always knew more than he let on. While he did not have the ability to know when someone was lying and be honest like she did, he was a student of Shait just like her. And knowing that little fact, Ruia knew to be cautious around her uncle. 

"An honor indeed young Ruia. Still I cannot help but to think that there is more to this picture than you are telling me." He raised a knowing eyebrow at his young charge. 'I may not know what exactly is going on, but I know Ruia is up to something, hiding something.' 

Despite her best efforts, Ruia could feel her cheeks grow red hot. "Uncle Ay, there is nothing going on I assure you. I just like drawing the Pharaoh because he is so complex and mysterious. That is all, honestly, but as you can see from the picture, I cannot express that clearly at all." 

Ay turned the sketch towards him. Smiling, he examined it with a critical eye. The drawing confirmed what he was suspecting. Ruia was in love, with the Pharaoh himself. "You know what I see here? I see an intense desire hidden in the eyes, most likely a longing for something he cannot have, the jaw line here suggests a sense of deep determination that proclaims nothing will stand in his way, and finally his positioning, the way he is standing hints that he is waiting for something important or maybe even someone?" He looked at Ruia watching her expression flicker briefly. "Looks like I struck a nerve." He took a sip of water so not to laugh at Ruia's surprised reaction. He had caught her off guard; he knew it. 

"No, I was just surprised that you saw all that, that is all. It caught me off guard because those were some of the elements I was striving for. I just did not think I had managed to pull it off. Personally, I think it was missing something or something was wrong." Ruia paused. She needed to change the subject and quickly. "So Uncle Ay, what brings you by today? I know it is not because of my sketches." 

"Your father came by the temple before work and explained to me what happened last night. He thought maybe it would be a good idea to have a family meeting to discuss what happened and why you feel the way you do about marrying Jarha." 

"In other words, he wanted a witness in case we attempted to murder one another." Ruia replied with a semi-straight face. "Actually, it is probably a good idea that you are here. Maybe with you here, I will be able to convince father that I am correct or maybe even the other way around. Regardless, I am glad that you are here. Just having someone here that might be able to resolve this conflict makes me feel a lot better about the whole situation. 

"Well that is why I have come." Ay paused. "But answer me one question Little Rose before your father comes home. Yesterday night, the rains were dreadfully cold; there is no way you would have been able to spend all night out there with no shelter. Now by the paleness in your skin, I can see you spent a little while out there but obviously spent the rest of the night someplace warm and dry. So Ruia, who did you stay with?" 

Ruia bit her lip. It was such a tricky question to answer. If she said Anzu or Annika, her father and uncle would both check and discover she had been lying. And of course saying she spent the night in the Pharaoh's arms, well that would not be the smartest thing to say either. 'What do I say? What can I say really that will not reveal that I have been lying, forcing me to reveal my true location?' Ruia was at a lost. "With friends." She finally responded lamely. It was not a lie either which made her feel a tad better, but deep down, she knew it would be an answer that neither her father nor uncle would accept. 

"I see, not saying the name to protect them?" Ay shook his head. "Ruia, your sense of loyalty and honestly never cease to amaze me." He chuckled. "I will not ask you for the name of your friend, do not worry. We all need our safe houses from time to time do we not?" 

Ruia nodded, her hair falling in front of her face. "Ai, I guess we do Uncle Ay." She began to pack up her drawing supplies. "I finished that scroll you gave me, on the rituals of Shait. I will bring it back down for you." 

"Did you find the information there useful any?" 

"Well considering the rituals allows you to see the future and I can somewhat all ready do that, no; however when I read the words, I could almost feel my gifts growing stronger. Like my senses were becoming sharper or something close to that." 

"And your divinity?" 

"I practice when I can, study the teachings that you and I undercover, but yet I do not see myself growing stronger, more powerful. I know I have from that faithful day when I was ten and learn of my heritage. We have both seen some of the things I can do with my magic, but nothing compares to what I did that night at the palace when I saved the Pharaoh. So until I can achieve that level of mastery over my divinity again, I will always feel that I have much to learn and practice." 

"No matter how strong or knowledgeable you become, there is always more to learn and experience. This applies to your father and even myself. Remember that little Rose." 

Nodding her head in understanding, Ruia pondered her uncle's words of wisdom as she walked to her room to retrieve the scroll off her desk and return it to her uncle. 'That was a sound piece of advice he gave me. There is always much to learn, whether it be through my father, uncle, friends, guardians, or the Divine Father himself. I just hope father has learned to trust my judgment and will understand why I do not wish to marry Jarha with a calm, level, and rational reasoning. Ra, I just hope he understands.' 

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"So Ruia Ana, do you wish to explain why you do not wish to marry Jarha?" Sugoroku asked calmly as possible, afraid to look his daughter in the eyes in fear of seeing the pain he had caused her. 'I hurt her so much, so deeply last night all because I still do not understand her, not even after all these years together.' He had been a fool; he knew that now. 'I raised her to be everything I was taught but as I look as her now, I realize none of those teachings took into account having a daughter like Ruia. She is truly different from the rest.' 

Ruia took a deep breath and glanced at her uncle for support. He gave a reassuring nod and smiled softly, egging her on to tell her side of the story undisrupted. Turning back to her father, she nodded slowly. "Ai father, I guess I should. I owe you that much at least. If I had been thinking last night, I could have said all this then. Maybe then our disagreement would not have happened." She paused, trying to find the right words. 

"I know you may not believe my reasons father, Uncle Ay, but I best you, they are how I feel and to me that makes them valid. I know both of you may feel that I have not given Jarha a chance or the benefit of the doubt, but I have, honestly. I have tried to ignore my feelings and really tried to get to know Jarha, but I cannot ignore what my divinity is telling me. It is trying to warn me not to trust Jarha, that he is not what he seems, that he is trying to deceive not only us, but himself as well. I know that sounds insane, but that is what I have felt. Father, surely you do not want me in such a dangerous situation like that?" 

Sugoroku smiled, the first sign of understanding Ruia had seen in a long time. "No daughter, I would not want you in any type of situation that could physically, mentally, or emotionally harm you; that is the last thing in the world that I would want. I just cannot imagine Jarha having some type of ulterior motive that not even he is aware of." 

"I know it must be difficult to fully comprehend Ruia's divinity Sugoroku, but I trust in her gifts and in her insights. She has a good head on her shoulders…normally. If she feels this uneasy and this strongly against Jarha, then we should respect her judgment." Ay explained slowly careful not to make it seem as if he was choosing sides. That would be the last thing he wanted to do in such a highly debated topic. It would be best to sooth any disagreement and round out the rougher edges in points the best that he could. 

"I wish I could explain exactly how I feel father, but I cannot. This magic is a part of me, whether anyone or I care to believe that. And knowing this, I cannot ignore what the divinity is trying to warn me of. Jarha is not whom he seems." 

"And you are sure it is Jarha that these feelings are warning you of? You have told me time and time again you are still learning how to control and read your abilities. Are you positive that you are not crossing mixed feelings towards him and your powers?" 

"No father." Ruia responded, forcing herself to remain calm. "Why are you so confident that Jarha is as good as he seems? Do you not trust me?" 

"Of course I trust you; I just wish the circumstances were different. I am not going to live forever Ruia, nor is Ay. I just want to make sure you are taken care of once we pass on. Jarha can provide such security for you." 

"But I do not love him! Women can own property in Memphis. I can take care of myself until I find the one I love with all my heart or even the divine father. I just do not want to marry for anything but love. Please, father assures me you understand that. I want a marriage like you and mother had." 

"Ruia…" Sugoroku sighed. His daughter was so much like her mother that it was painful to look at her sometimes. Her fierce determination and convictions paralleled Aristae's own beliefs perfectly. The intense fiery look in Ruia's eyes reminded him of when Aristae was hurt and upset. He had no idea how Ruia could imitate her mother's expressions so flawlessly. 

Ruia looked down at her hands. She knew what she had said must have surfaced painful memories about her mother in both her father's and uncle Ay's minds. She herself had very little recollections of her mom, but Anzu's mother told her often at how much she acted and looked like Aristae. She did not mean that comment to be hurtful, just honest; she hoped her family understood that. "Father, Uncle Ay, I did not mean that comment to be hurtful or insulting…" 

Sugoroku raised his hand to silence Ruia. "We know this daughter. Your statement just made the both of us I bet remember some of the better times we had with your mother before she got so sick." 

"Your father is right. We both know you would never use your mother as an insult towards us. It is all right. You do not have to worry about anything. We knew you meant no harm." 

Ruia sighed in relief, but only for a moment. Timidly, she raised her face to meet her father's and uncle's. It was then everyone could see the tears that were brimming in her eyes. "Those are my reasons, though you may not agree with them, that is how I feel. I know you both are probably still very confused and even hurt to an extent, but that does not change both what my heart and magic tell me. I know you are highly disappointed in me father and I know I deserve it for my actions last night, which I apologize for, however I will not ask for forgiveness for my reasoning behind it. I do not wish to marry Jarha." 

Ay looked at Sugoroku with a critical eye. The next words his brother-in-law said would forever effect and change his family. He knew his niece would stand by her words and never marry Jarha, even if that meant leaving. 'She loves the Pharaoh so much that she is willing to live alone because she cannot deny what her heart longs for. I only wonder, does Yugioh feel the same way about my little Rose? From the look in her eyes earlier, I would have to believe he does, which must be the real reason why she does not want to marry Jarha. Sure her feelings are one of the biggest reasons, but her unconditional love for another is her biggest driving factor. I wonder, last night, could Ruia, would she have really…no, she would not have.' Ay stared back at his niece. 'Was that why she refused to say where she was last night? ' He blinked in disbelief. Sometimes even Ruia managed to still surprise him. He had a million questions swirling around in his mind, but now was not the time. He had to choose his moment carefully and when Sugoroku was not in the room. 

"Ruia, while I do not agree totally with your reasons or your actions; you are an adult. I will step aside in this matter. Your happiness is the most important thing to me and if you do not wish to marry Jarha; then that is your decision to make. Just know, I do not necessary agree with you. I think you are making a mistake by not marrying the boy, but if you do not love him, then a marriage between you two probably never would work. I wish only that you would take these next few days to reconsider you decision and hopefully you will come to see Jarha in the same light your Uncle and I have. But no matter what, in the end, this is your decision and I will try to accept whatever you choose." 

Ruia looked at her father in shock. "You…you are really going to let me decide? You are not going to force me to marry Jarha?" 

Sugoroku shook his head. "My daughter, you are going to be fifteen in just over two weeks. It is time that I accept that you are not my little girl that needs her father to help make decisions for her. You are a young adult and capable of such tasks. I just hope you choose wisely child. The decision before you is one that will forever affect you live and once you decide on a path, there is no going back. Weigh your options carefully. I know you will not disappoint me." Sugoroku stood and walked out of the room, heading towards where he slept. 

With a sigh, Ruia leaned back against her chair, looking out the window and into the night sky. She could not believe how much time had past since their conversation began. Still, deep down, she felt nothing really had been accomplished. Sure her father and uncle knew her reasons for not wanting to marry Jarha and she knew her father's points for wanting her to marry him but after that, the two refused to do much else. Ruia knew her father still wanted her to marry Jarha, despite her protests and her father saying he would accept any decision she made. It was the same way that her father knew she would never change her mind. The whole conversation had basically been a flop. 

"Child, your father means well, he just does not understand what your heart is telling you to do." Ay whispered, choosing his words carefully, hoping Ruia would understand what he was trying to hint at. 

"And what is my heart telling me to do Uncle?" 

"To be with the one you love." 

Ruia felt her eyes widen. "I do not understand what you mean." She responded, trying to hide that she actually knew what he was hinting at, 'He is getting too close at guessing the truth.' 

Ay smiled. "When the time is better and you clearly know you path that you want to take little Rose, we will talk about this matter further. And I mean everything, from powers to matters of the heart. But until that day, this will be our little secret." 

"How…when will I know?" 

"You will know when the time is right to come to me." He kissed his niece on top of her head. "I must get back to the temple. I know you have a very tough road ahead of you the next few days, just remember your heart can never steer you wrong. I know you will make the right decision." 

Ruia sat, frozen to her spot. 'He knows, but how.' She watched as her Uncle stood and started for the door. "Uncle Ay!" 

He turned. "Yes little Rose?" 

"Thank you." 

Ay nodded curtly and walk outside. 

Ruia continued to stare at the door, long after her uncle left. His words pounded in her head. He was right, she had a very difficult choice to make; she just hoped when the time came, she would be able to make and stay with it. 

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"You cannot hide up there forever Yugioh. At some point, you will have to come down and face her." Jou shouted up to the roof where he knew Yugioh was currently residing, safely hidden from Satire's view. He and Setto had heard all about the adventures the young Pharaoh had dealing with the over zealous woman during the time her brother had been gone. Jou chuckled at the thought; he wish he could have been present to see Yugioh running the other way whenever Satire was in the palace. Only a girl would have the Pharaoh of all Egypt scared out of his mind. The only problem, every time Yugioh hide, he found a better, more obscure place to making Honda's and his job stressful. Luckily, now that Jarha was back, Satire had seem to have calm down slightly, toning down her actions enough to where Yugioh was only hiding once a day, rather than five or six. 

"Jou," Yugioh leaned down looking at his blonde hair guard, "you are single are you not?" 

"Yugioh, I would gladly die for you, risk my health for you, but if you are asking me to date Satire and take her off your hands for you, well I would like to hand in my resignation now." He gave a reckless grinned. 

Yugioh sighed. "I would not be that mean anyway." He turned and gazed back up at the nighttime sky. The stars glistened brightly, twinkling like a flickering candle. It was nights like these he longed to see Ruia the most She enjoyed the night sky as much as he did, that and it was a wonderful time to curl up and take pleasure in the other's embrace. Yugioh was jolted out of his thoughts as he watched Jou climb up beside him and stared out over the lands. "What are you thinking my friend?" 

Jou gave another one of his famous smiles, then turned serious. "I have something to tell you, just promise me you will not get upset." 

Yugioh turned to Jou, the concern obviously in his eyes. "What is wrong? Is it your family? Are you in financial trouble because I assure you, I will help in any way that I can." 

"It is nothing like that, I beset you. No, I came across a secret, a very harmful one if discovered…" Jou trailed off. 

Yugioh gulped. "What secret did you learn?" 

"You are going to make me say it, are you not?" Jou sighed. "I know the truth Yugioh, I accidentally came across one of your letters from Ruia. I assure you, I was not snooping, the letter was just there and I saw her name on it. It was then I made the connection between Honda and Ruia and why you cringe every time Jarha mentions the girl he is marrying; you are in love with the same person." He watched as Yugioh's expression flickered to horror. "You can relax my friend, I have said nothing to anyone. I understand the situation and why you cannot say anything. I have even met the girl, once while she was here dropping a letter off to Honda. I can understand why you like her and wanted to protect her from being swept up into some scandal." 

"Thank you Jou. You are right; Ruia means the utmost world to me. She was my one stability when my father past away. I just wish the circumstances were different and we could be together, but we are from too very different worlds and thus we can never be together." 

"That is rough Pharaoh. I really liked the girl when I talked to her briefly. She was different from most of the girls I know from Memphis. She actually had a sense of humor." Jou laid down against the roof and stared up into the sky. "If I had to take a guess, that is why you feel in love with her." 

"That is one of the main reasons, she is unlike anyone I have ever met. She is smart, honest, and has a sense of self worth and pride like I have never seen in anyone before her. And that is what makes this whole situation so painful. I feel in love with her, heart, soul, and mind. And to know that I can never be with her, it just hurts, burns throughout my body because I know given any other circumstances, I would marry her without a moment's hesitation." 

"Yugioh, may I speak freely?" 

"Of course Jou." 

"What is stopping you from marrying her?" 

"Is that not apparent? Our social standings prohibited it." 

Jou laughed. "Yugioh, you are Pharaoh. Your word is LAW." 

"But traditionally…" Yugioh stopped. He loved Ruia because she was so untraditional and here he was following a long-standing tradition set by Pharaohs long before him. Was he being foolish? He told Ruia that because of their social standings an alliance between them would never work, that if he changed tradition, that no one would accept them, but was that really true? His word was law; surely no one would question his authority. But then there was Ruia's family, what would they say? "It is not that simple Jou, Ruia's father is set on her marrying Jarha and I cannot change that, no matter how much I wish I could." 

"Her father is forcing her? That…that is just wrong." 

"The more I am around my people, see how they live, I realize how sheltered and how grateful I should be for what I was blessed with. And then I see what Ruia lives with and I understand how unjust this world really is. No matter how much I change things, I cannot necessarily alter people's views about how society should be." 

"I think I see your dilemma. No matter what you choose, someone gets hurt in the end, whether it is yourself, Ruia, or your country. It is a tough decision you have to make and I guess it might be a decision that at all Pharaoh's must make at some time during their lives and reigns." 

Yugioh turned and looked at Jou. "And what is that?" 

Jou sat up and stretched. He bit his lip gently, trying to find the best worlds. "I guess what I am trying to say is that at some point, a Pharaoh must choose between what makes him happy and what is for the good of his country." 

"I could not say it any better myself Jou." 

"So what are you going to do?" 

"I do not know, not just yet. But when the time comes for me to make a decision, I am sure I will know which is the one I should choose." 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ 

Jarha walked nervously to the Motou household. It had been a long week, but now the moment had finally arrived; he would finally know his sweet Ruia's answer. After tonight, Ruia would be engaged to him and all would be perfect in his life. 'I will finally have the object of my affections.' Jarha felt a smile cross his face. Of course he loved Ruia, but more importantly, she would be a fine wife to have at his side. She was gorgeous and came from a stable background; the only thing that he had to change about her before showing her off to all his important colleagues was that rebellious side of hers. He would definitely have to curve that. The last thing he needed was an outspoken, nontraditional wife who would embarrass him in social gatherings with her radical ideas. Nonetheless, he simply adored the strong willed women. It was only a matter of time before he and his sister had the happiness they both sought, Jarha married to Ruia and Satire with the Pharaoh himself. 

'And speaking of the lovely goddess herself,' Jarha thought as he walked up the pathway to the Motou house. Ruia was sitting radiantly in the sand, allowing the mid-afternoon rays to bounce off her golden face giving it a warm glow. She appeared to be working on another one of her songs, every few minutes she was humming and writing something. 'Or maybe she is working on her vows.' Inwardly, Jarha smiled, it was only a matter of time now before he heard his sweet's answers and he was swinging her in his arms. "Good day Ruia Ana, my beautiful flower." 

The quill Ruia had been holding fell from her hand, smearing the papyrus. "Ja…Jarha, I did not know you were back in Memphis. How was your trip?" Ruia felt her throat close up. She did not realize that Jarha would be back so soon. 'Has a week really past all ready?' Fighting back the nervousness that was building deep in the pit of her stomach, Ruia forced a smile on her face as she looked at Jarha. 'Be polite, even though you are about to break his heart.' 

"My trip was quite successful, thank you. The talks went very smoothly and I do believe we will see much support from them in the future, however, the reason why I am here is not to discuss my trip, rather something much more important." 

"Ai, I bet you do." Ruia whispered softly. 'It is now or never girl. You have to tell Jarha the truth, no more lies. You have your families' blessing, even if they really do not mean it. You can do this, think of Yugioh.' She tucked a piece of her hair behind her ear and looked up at Jarha. Taking a deep breath, she stood dusting off her white robes. "I assume you are here for my decision." 

Jarha smiled widely. "Indeed I am my little angel. Tell me, where would you like to go and celebrate tonight, a dinner in town, a picnic along the banks of the Nile, or just a small family celebration? What ever you wish, it shall be done." 

Ruia commanded herself to take a deep breath before speaking. "Jarha, I have something important to tell you. All I ask you is that you listen and do not interrupt until I am done speaking." She placed her quill down in her lap and folded her hands over it. 

"Of course my sweet, anything you desire." Jarha felt the concern etch into his face. What was so important to Ruia that she had to tell him now before she announced that she was going to accept his proposal? Was she sick or injured? Jarha did not know but his curiosity was peaking. 

"Jarha, I have put a lot of thought into this, I just want you to know that before I continued with what I have to say. I never meant for things to turn out like this, but circumstances forced me other wise." Ruia took a deep breath. "I do not want to hurt you, but I know no matter how I say this, that is exactly what I am going to do. You have been simply wonderful to me Jarha; the best friend I could ask for and in that lays the problem. I see you only as a friend. I wanted to tell you so many times so you would not be hurt, but no matter how I tried, something prevented me." 

Jarha felt the color in his face drain; he could not be hearing what he thought he was, it simple was not possible. "What…what…are you saying my love." He managed to stutter. 

Biting her lip, Ruia knew she had to continue, despite knowing she was breaking his heart. 'I do not love him nor do I trust him, but that does not make this conversation any easier. Oh Yugioh, I wish you were here; things are so much easier when you are. I have confidence and able to actually speak.' "What I am saying Jarha is that while I am flattered at your proposal…I…have…I have to say no." 

"What?" 

"My feelings for you are nothing more than that of friends. I am so sorry Jarha, I know this was not the answer you wanted or expect, but I cannot lie to you or myself either. Please believe me when I say this, I never meant to hurt you. I just cannot change how I feel. 

Jarha could literally feel his heart shattering, and then turning cold in anger. "How could you play with my feelings like this Ruia? If you knew you had no feelings for me all along why did you lead me on, string me about for so long? Was I nothing but a sick joke for you and your friends? I cannot believe you." Jarha shook in anger. 

Ruia gasped. "Jarha it is not like that at all! I told you, there were circumstances that forbade me from telling you the truth! Besides I thought you deserved a chance and that maybe my feelings would change, but they did not. I am sorry for hurting you like this, honestly I am." 

"Why should I believe anything that comes from your mouth harlot? You use other people's feelings to your advantage. And yet, I find that strangely attractive." 

"I am not a harlot Jarha Imhotep! I demand an apology right this instant…what did you say?" 

Jarha moved closer to her, eyes fixed on her. "I said, I still find you and what you did attractive. You are like a forbidden elixir, one I know I should stay away from and yet I cannot. You tempt me harlot, as you do everyone that meets you. A true siren you are, luring young men in with your beauty then snapping their hearts mercilessly in your hands when you are through." 

"Jarha stop this, you are scaring me." Ruia scooted back, trying to keep as much space between them. "I am not like that, you know me." Her back hit the side of her house. 'Dear Ra no, I am trapped.' 

Leaning down close to her, Jarha smiled. "But my dear sweet Ruia, that is exactly how you are: seductive, alluring, forbidden. But I have just one thing to say to you, I shall have you. You're game ends with me." 

"Never." Ruia whispered, shaking in fear. 

Jarha smiled and kissed her on her lips. "I shall have you, no matter what you say." He turned with a grin and glided off the Motou property in self-satisfaction. 

Ruia blinked as her hand shook in absolute fear. 'Jarha did not mean what he said; it was nothing more than an empty threat. He was just acting out his frustration. I should not put any believe in his words; he was just ranting, acting without thinking. I am sure he was just talking; he would never act on his words, right?' She took several deep breaths to calm her racing heart. 'It was just an empty warning…wasn't it?' 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ 

'Almost, almost there.' Ruia thought as she placed the final clay plate back on the shelf. Dizzily, she rubbed her forehead, hoping to somehow will the lightheadedness away. Leaning against the wall, she felt the coldness well up deep inside of her, chilling her to her spot. 'Have to last until father leaves. Cannot let him know.' Wiping the beads of sweats that glistened on her pale forehead, she heard her father descending down the stairs. 

"Ruia? Are you okay child?" Sugoroku glanced at his daughter, instantly worried. She was slumped against the wall, eyes not focusing on anything in the room. 

Ruia waved her father off with a small wave of her hand. "I am still feeling a bit under the weather. I will probably go back to bed once my chores are taken care of." She replied slowly, fighting against her rebelling stomach. 

Sugoroku nodded. "Forget your chores this afternoon, why do you not climb back into bed and rest. If this illness persists, I will take you to the doctor tomorrow. We would go today, but I have that important meeting with the Pharaoh's advisors today." He replied grabbing several scrolls from a basket. 

"Jarha as well?" Ruia asked, not meeting her father in the eye. 

"Ai, he as well. Do not fret child. It has been a month; I do believe he is finally getting over the incident. You have nothing to be ashamed of. You were honest and spoke from your heart. I may not totally agree with your decision, but you were right; this is your life, your decisions, not mine." 

"Thank you father." 

Sugoroku nodded. "Now off to bed with you. You look so weak and pale. I will send someone to check in on you later." 

"Of course father." Ruia climbed up the stairs, carefully listen to make sure her father was out of the house before turning around. Grabbing the bucket she had hid behind some chairs, she promptly emptied the contents of her stomach into it. Panting, she laid sat against the cool walls and tried to control her racing heartbeat. 'What is going on with me? Every day for the past three weeks I have been feeling weak and sick in the mornings, but after a few hours the sickness passes. What is going on with me?' 

Ruia shakily climbed to her feet and cleaned out the bucket and promptly hid it once again. 'I remember hearing stories about morning sickness from Annika when she was pregnant with her child, could…could I be pregnant?' Ruia felt the color drain from her face again. 'No, there is no possible way. I am just sick, that is all, nothing more, nothing less.' 

But now was not the time to play the guessing game, she needed answers. Ruia grabbed her bag from her room, stuffing things she would need for a trip. 'I have to find out for sure. I need to know the truth, before father takes me to a healer himself. I cannot be with child though because that mean…' Ruia fought against the tears. 'It would be Yugioh's. And while nothing else in this world would make me happier if I was to have his child, how could I ever explain this to everyone, to father? I could not and even worse, since I am not married, I would be killed, literally.' 

Moving outside, Ruia headed in the opposite direction from the local healer. 'I cannot go to the healer here in Memphis. If I am indeed pregnant, word will get back to my father before I can get to Yugioh and tell him.' Inside, she was praying to Sekhmet that she was just sick and not pregnant at all. 'I will go to Gizeh, that is only a short walk away and I have heard from numerous people that the healer there is wonderful. Maybe by going there, word will not get back to my father and I can figure out what the in world I am going to do if I am indeed carrying the heir to the Egyptian throne.' 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ 

Isis stood behind the great throne eagerly watching her daughter. Beside her, Ra and Sekhmet stood, looking regally as ever. "Things are progressing as Shait foresaw them. Now all that is left is for my daughter to choose from the paths the fates have presented to her." 

Sekhmet sighed and tossed her blond hair over her dark blue robes. "I just wish that things would not be so difficult for her and the Divine Father. Neither one deserves the life the fates have been dealing them lately. Both lost so much when the were younger and their lives are not going to get any easier." 

"And unfortunately dear daughter, neither of their young lives will get any easier. Each of these trials thus far has only mere tests. These tests will help them both prepare for their roles as the Divine Father and as the Divine Mother. Only with these trials will they be able to protect our country and rule with wisdom and experience. Both need this, to prove not only to us, but them as well that they can handle what the fates and we have beset to them." Ra stated his voice tinted with conviction but pride as well. "I know when the time comes they will know what to do. They are ready; I can sense it inside of them. The divinity that flows through their veins is pure and strong. There is only one last test to pass and if they succeed, Egypt will have never been in more capable hands." 

Isis eyes widened as she placed a hand on the back of Ra's throne to steady her. "Only one more test, you do not possible mean…" She paused. "I know things are progressing as Shait foresaw them, but please tell me you honestly do not believe that things will become that urgent for my children." 

"And my protégé " Sekhmet added, equally as alarmed and panicked. "We cannot just sit here and let this happen to either of them. May we interfere and I do not know, show them the way? This is something everyone has been working so hard for. I cannot just sit here and see them suffer because of what culture says!" 

Ra sighed. "Sekhmet we have been over this. We cannot interfere in their lives like that. We have to be here to guild then, not to give them a free and easy lifestyle. They have to make these decisions on their own." 

"I am the goddess of war and protection, do I have clause stating I can interfere because of what I represent?" she asked hopefully, rubbing her hands together in a nervous fashion. She did not like the fate of the Egypt coming done to a decision such as this. It was not right, not after everything that Yugioh and Ruia had to suffer through growing up. One simple decisions and everything would be gone in a heartbeat. It seemed so harsh, so cruel, but in the end, that is just how life was. Unpredictable in every sense and one wrong or right move could forever change the world. 

Isis blew a piece of her long black hair from the front of her face. "I wish you could Sekhmet, we all do. But Ra is right, this is one of those situations were they must decide for themselves what they will do. And I pray that they chose the right path, the one that will lead them to greatness. Ra, Sekhmet you better pray to your favorite deities that they chose life." 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ 

"This time, try not to over do it in your work Rsmses." Ashina sighed as she led the man out from her medical room and escorted him to the front door. Her face was etched with concern, but there was a glimmer of playfulness in her eyes as well. 

The man scratched the back of his head nervously. "You have my word that I will never pull two 1 ton blocks ever again." He smiled, knowing full well that she would never buy into his promise. Ashina, though young, was too sharp for that. 

Ashina put her hands on her hips and looked slightly cross at the man before her. "That's what you said last week, you old fool!" 

Rsmses laughed wholeheartedly knowing he was caught and patted Ashina on the shoulder. "Well this time I promise." and he walked out the door. 

"Yeah sure." Ashina muttered to herself. "I will be seeing him next week AGAIN." and she turned to head for her living room. She sat in her chair and opened her book enjoying the moment break from healing she was getting. It had been a very long day. It seemed like everyone need to be healed this afternoon. 

'Things just can't get anymore stressful can they.' she thought to herself. "Been in Gizeh for four months and I'm swamped." She smiled though. "At least they like me though." Greece had been another story; it had taken years before they accepted her for her Egyptian background and more importantly, as a female healer. 

"Hello?" Asked a voice from her door. Soft footsteps entered the house, but stopped short of the living area. 

"One moment." Ashina called out and stood up. She fixed her headpiece, blue silken dress and golden shoulder piece then started toward the den. She walked in and saw a girl looking right at her. At that instant shock took over both their faces as they recognized each other but just for a brief moment before Ashina muttered "R…Ruia?" 

Ruia gasped, suddenly feeling lightheaded all over again. It could not be true. Her childhood friend could not be standing in front of her, alive and well. She had died when they were nine, during the raid on Alexandria. But there she was, standing right in front her, staring in shock. "Ashina…but…but how? They told me you died in Alexandria." She gripped the door frame tightly with her right hand. 

Ashina motioned to her living room area, not even realizing she was doing it at first. "It is a long story Ruia, may we should sit down and talk about the past." As Ruia timidly moved by, still in shock at seeing her once believed dead friend, Ashina hugged her, convincing her that she was indeed really alive. "It is so good to see you Ruia." 

Hugging back, Ruia smiled. "It is wonderful to see you, a shock as well." She moved and sat on the long couch. It felt good to be sitting down, the walk from Memphis, though short, still had done a number on her. She could feel the heat radiating off her body. Subconsciously, she placed a hand to her stomach wondering if she really was pregnant. 

"I guess I should start at the beginning of my story. As you may remember, I was traveling with Achilles and his family to Alexandria to attend a conference on medicine. While we were there, a group of bandits attacked leaving many people injured and on death's bed. Achilles sent his family on head, to find someone to warn them what was going on in Alexandria. We stand behind though, to aide our fallen comrades. It would have been wrong for us too leave. I was reckless though; while Achilles was sleeping, I ventured out to see if I could find survivors. One of the men, who I later found out was working for a man named Loki, found me and kidnapped me." 

"Loki!" Ruia growled. "I know that man quite well Ashina." She could feel her anger rising. That man had nearly cost her everything that she held dear to her. Because of him, she had almost lost her soul mate. Of course, it also set of a chain of events that she had never recovered from either. 

Ashina blinked. "But…but how?" 

"Continue with your story and I will explain it all to you later. I want to know what happened next." 

"All right. Anyway, I was knocked out and when I awoke, I was on a ship, which I later learned from another captured Egyptian woman that we were being taken to Rome to be sold off as slaves. As luck would have it thankfully, a sudden storm hit, ripping the boat to shreds. I thought I was going to die; I had no idea which direction land was in, so I had no hope of swimming and even if I did, land was not even in sight. I just remember grabbing a piece of drift wood and collapsing in utter exhaustion against it." 

Ruia gasped. "Dear Ra, Ashina. You must have been terrified beyond disbelief. How did you ever get to land?" 

"To this day, I am not completely sure. When I awoke, I was resting in front of fire in the home of Rubius…" She paused briefly. "The Greek healer of Knossos." 

"GREECE! But the Greeks cannot stand our people, how did you ever survive in their culture? Surely they would have treated you as a slave and yet you appear as if you were treated like royalty, not that is not a good thing my friend, I am glad you were well cared for and such." 

"I was and I will always be thankful to Rubius for all he did. But before I go on, I have to ask you something. I need you to promise me that what I am about to tell you does not leave this room." Ashina played with a bit of her robe, still staring into her friend's ghostly purple eyes. 

"You have my word Ashina. I will not reveal anything that you tell me." 

"When we were children, do you remember how I was taught individually with Achilles and Ay at certain times during the week?" She watched as Ruia nodded. "I have this gift; magic that allows me to heal people. Granted, it does not always work, but it can help with a lot of things. But when Rubius learned of my gift, he continued training me as Achilles and Ay had done before him. As the fates would have it though, it was not very long until all of Greece learned of my magically touch." 

"People learning about magic is always such a dangerous consequence; you never know how they are going to react to the news." 

"You speak as if you know exactly what I am talking about. In fact, confirm my suspicions about you; I know when we were younger, you were taught separately as much as I was. There could only be one explanation for this, you have some type of magical abilities as well do you not?" 

Ruia's eyes widen in shock. 'In all my years, no one has ever come close to guessing that I had some type of magic, not even Anzu, but Ashina guessed it right away, even though she has not seen me since we were nine. And it would be nice to have someone to talk about this whole divinity with besides my family and I know Ashina will keep it a secret because of her own gift.' "Ashina, what do you know about the Divinity Children?" 

Ashina paused to consider her friend's question. "I know of the Greek divinity and the Egyptian divinity, yes. I remember learning about the myths and legends surrounding them as well." 

"What if I told you they were real?" Ruia reached into her sash, making sure her card was still there. There were times she still did not believe that the Divinity Children were real and she was on of them! 

"What if I told you that would not surprise me in the least. Especially after what I've encountered in Knossos, but still, why do you say that?" 

Ruia took a deep breath. "I am the Egyptian. I am the Divine Mother of all Egypt." 

Ashina blinked, not once, but few times before speaking. "Well now, that is certainly some…unexpected news. I knew you were special and had some magic when last I healed you but that I did not expect that you could be the legendary Divine Mother. That is nothing short of amazing, but tell me this Ruia, what do you think of your divinity, your magic? Do you feel it as though it where a curse, a mistake as though it gets in the way of your natural life? Or it is completely the opposite?" 

"Well it certainly complicated things, I will tell you that much. You know the myth of the Divinity Children right, that the Divine Mother and Divine Father are destined to be soul mates, two beings that supposedly share an unbreakable bond of love, trust, and wisdom. And that belief greatly restricts my life because I am not supposed to be with no other man but the Divine Father. Of course, out of all the scrolls I have read, only a few cases in history have been report that the Divine Mother and Father actually found one another. Now, these stories may be true and they may not be, there is no way for me to know for sure. But it is one my jobs to search out the Divine Father, even if it takes me my entire life. And the scariest part of all, I am supposed to do all these wondrous things and marry this mystery man. But I am not sure I want any of that. How do the legends know for certain that he is the one for me? How am I supposed to put that much faith in my divinity and just trust what no one knows for sure?" 

"That is a tough decision to make, I can sense the stress it has caused you. And I am afraid I cannot let you leave this room until you tell me everything that is on your mind my dear friend. It is making you worn out. No offence you look as though a few days sleep could do you some good. But I shall let you decide what you want to tell me, and what you do not. I refuse to put pressure on anyone coming to see me. Be it friend, patient or both. I like my patients to relax over all. Stress can only make things worse. And you Ruia, look as if you have enough to worry about than me just nagging you about things you do not wish to share." 

"Believe me, I have talked to Uncle Ay and my guardian about this many times over the years since I learned the truth about my gifts and heritage. But from what you have told me this afternoon, you have had similar fears and doubts as well. It is funny, most people would love to have magic in their lives, makes it easier they believe, would it not be great to tell them how much more difficult it makes life?" 

"Ai, it does make life more complicated at times I give you that. It is just like when people in Knossos learned of my gift, some accepted that a girl could heal and handle medical procedures, others took every chance they got and blackened my name to the best of their abilities. I am assuming this is why your divinity has been keep safely hidden from public knowledge." 

"That among other things as well." Ruia replied, grimacing as her stomach clenched up suddenly. Fighting against the pain, she continued. "If news was made public that I was indeed the Divine Mother, sorcerers, people like Loki would all travel to Memphis to hunt me down because I am an obstacle in their main objective – to have complete control of Egypt. This is why I have been safely hidden away until I am ready, better trained, and better focused on my mission in life." 

Ashina nodded. "It makes a lot of sense. It seems that this Loki character caused a lot of problems for the both of us. There are a few things I would like Ra to do to him or even myself, but I am a healer and that prohibits me from violence." She smirked. "Does not stop me from thinking them though." 

"The late Pharaoh took care of it for you, no worries there. After all, the whole reason I got involved with Loki was because of Pharaoh Khu and Prince Yugioh. Father and I had been invited to the Prince's coming of age party. It was that night that Loki minion's decided to attack the palace, to eliminate the Royal Family. It was also the same night I learned of my divinity. I tell you, the Prince owes me, big time." 

"Owes you how?" Ashina asked, raising an eyebrow as she poured water from a jug, handing Ruia a cup. She had not missed the cramps her friend was suffering from. 

Taking a sip of the cool water, Ruia tried desperately to hide her blush. That night was magical, in more than one way. She had discovered her abilities yes, but she had also found her soul mate though she would not realize it till years later. "The raid on the palace caused a huge uproar. I was separated from father and watched as Yugioh ran off to confront Loki one on one. What he failed to realize was that one of Loki's minions went upstairs and followed him. Of course, I gave chase to the minion even though I knew I could not do anything to help or so I thought. Well to make a long story short, the assassin tried to kill Yugioh with a poisonous arrow and my divinity stopped him as Yugioh stopped Loki. I doubt that Pharaoh Khu spared Loki's life, after all he was trying to kill his heir and only child." 

"Rightfully so. Any father would want what is best for his child. It is only natural, just like what my father wanted for me before he died." 

Ruia bit her lip. "He would have been so proud of you Ashina. Believe me when I say that." 

"I know…just like Sugoroku must be proud of you, for being chosen to be the Divine Mother and all." 

"Not quite…" 

"What do you mean Ruia? Are you and your father not getting along?" 

"That is an understatement Ashina. It is just so hard sometimes not to get into a fight with him. We have never seen eye to eye on anything anymore. What he wants and what I want to do with my life are two separate and different things. We had a fight about that not long ago; he wants me to be traditional. You know how bad I hate that word. So anymore, we only speak to one another if necessary. I know that sounds horrible, but it is truly for the best. Father and I have not seen eye to eye on anything since I was ten and it has only grown since then. And this whole incident with me turning down a marriage proposal, well that did not helps matters any in the least. He placed me in an arragned marriage and we had a big disagreement about it. I did not want to marry the man he had chosen for me." 

Ashina smiled. "I understand your feelings about arranged marriages, I am in one too." 

"Then you understand my pain. I mean Jarha was very sweet to me, but I did not love him in the least bit. I told my father this but it seemed to fall on deaf ears. Jarha could move me socially, provide things for me that father could only dream of. It seemed that love should not have had any affect on my decision." 

"Yes, in a way I do, but there is one difference between me and you. Though I never got to meet him till the day before for I left Knossos, Marc and I do love each other very much. We have to many things in common, he quite understands me and doesn't care that I am a girl, Egyptian and a master healer. He respects my decisions and me so our relationship works." Ashina looked at her friend. "I guess you can say we lucked out. He will be joining me here in Gizeh soon, today actually. I just cannot believe your father would force you do marry a man you did not love. He needs to respect you more my friend." 

"We are on much better terms now; it took a drastic move on both are parts, but at least we understand one another so much better now." She took another sip of water as she felt her stomach flip flop once again. 'Dear Ra, Sekhmet, Isis, Ptah, any god or goddess that can hear my cry, please do not let me be pregnant. If I am, my life is truly over." 

"At least things are getting better, that has to be a good sign." Ashina replied, give her friend a gaze. The expression on her face seemed to counter her words. 'Why are you here my friend. There is no way for you to have known I am here, what scared you so bad that you fled here to Gizeh to seek medical attention. What other secrets from your past are you hiding from me?' 

"Maybe, but I think the peace may not last much longer, especially if what I think is true." Ruia took a deep breath. "Ashina, in all your studies, you were trained as a midwife right?" 

"Ai, I was. Ruia…do you think…." 

Ruia ignored her words, scared that if she got off track once again, there was no way she would ever find the courage to explain why she there. "So you would know how to see if someone was pregnant, right?" 

Ashina nodded. "Yes I would know. And my abilities would allow me to know even faster. I take it that is why you are here?" She asked slowly, noticing how nervous Ruia was getting. Her brow glisten with sweat and her hands shook lightly. 

"You guessed it." 

"Right. Have you been feeling sick in the mornings sometimes, cravings for the most whacked out combinations of foods in Memphis' history?" She smiled as she moved over to the couch and knelt down next to her friend. "I can sense you are scared, but I really need you to force yourself to relax. If you are indeed pregnant, this stress you are feeling is neither healthy for you or the baby." 

Ruia nodded and forced herself to take several deep breaths before answering the questions. "Every morning for the past month. And you do not even want to know some of the food cravings I have had." Dimly, she brushed her hand over the arm bracelets Yugioh had given her. 'You have given me so much love and now you might have given me a child…our child. Though I am scared of what the consequences might be from our actions, this child is yours which means I will always have a part of you with me even if the unthinkable happens.' 

"Okay Ruia, I am just needing you to lie back on the couch and relax all right? Thankfully, my gift allows me to sense another presence within another. So this will be much faster and less painful than other options." 

"This really will not hurt right. It is going to be like when you cured the sunburn I had when we were smaller?" Ruia smiled at the memory. It was the first time she had met Ashina. 

"You will not feel a thing except maybe a warm comfort. Promise! I will not let anything happen to you; you have nothing to fear." 

Ruia nodded and lay down, getting comfortable on the couch. Closing her eyes, she tried to relax, only to have the fear build up more in her stomach. 'Think happy thoughts, think of Yugioh, think of how you feel in his arms and of his sweet, loving kisses.' 

Once Ashina saw the content look on Ruia's face, she placed her hands slightly over Ruia and closes her eyes tightly, emitting a soft around Ruia's body. Concentrating hard, Ashina searched for another soul within Ruia. Opening her eyes and breaking the flow of magic Ashina nudged her friend. "Okay, I am done. You can open your eyes now." 

Ruia blinked in surprise. "That was fast." 

"It does not take long to get an answer. " She bit her lip. "If I told you we were not pregnant would that be a good thing or bad thing?" She asked carefully. 

"Good for the rest of the world." Ruia answered honestly. For herself, she was not sure. Since she was not married, having a child would sworn her name and possible since it was the Pharaoh's child, she could even be killed. Sure it was true that Pharaoh's had mistresses all the time, but Yugioh was not like that. But to have a child, she was not sure of her fate at all. And yet, if she was pregnant, it could only be Yugioh's and the thought of that thrilled her. "But I want this child." She finally answered with a smile on her face. 

"The world is not what I am worried about. It is you that I am worried about." She looked at Ruia. "You are pregnant." 

Ruia paled, but still kept the smile on face. "I figured as much." 'Dear Ra….' 

"Ruia, what's wrong?" 

"It is sort of a complicated situation Ashina…very complicated." 

"What do you mean?" Ashina asked worriedly, grasping her friend's hand. 'Do not tell me she was…. she said earlier she was not pregnant…oh no….' 

Ruia held up her left hand "You remember the rule about unwed mothers right. I told you before Ashina; I could not marry Jarha with a clear conscious." 

"But how, when and who? Were you … you know, taken by some one and…" Ashina trailed off. 

Ruia shook her head quickly. "Ra no! Nothing like that at all. Everything that happened was through choice. I made my own decisions in this matter." 

"You can tell me. I promise not to pass judgment. I can tell the identity of the father is killing you." 

"See that is where the complication sets in. This situation is a best left to secrecy": Ruia played with the hem of her robes. 

"You are my best friend Ruia, you know that. I am here only support you, so you can tell me. You need to get this out into the open. It is the only way to relive the stress that you are suffering from. Please Ruia, trust me. As a healer, I cannot reveal anything you tell me in this room, not that I would anyway." 

"When…when I told you about my life, I left out one minor, insignificant detail." 

"And this is…" 

She sighed. "When I turned down Jarha, it just was not from not loving him. I probably could have fallen in love with him if it was not for one simple fact; my heart had already been one over by another. But I did not dare tell father about him. He would never have approved of this other man. Anyway, the night I told father that I did not want to marry Jarha; he threw me out of the house. It was my own fault, father regretted saying the words as soon as they left his mouth, but I did not want to hear a thing. I spent the night as this other boy's um…house." 

"So this other boy, he is the father I take it. Who is he? Is it an old classmate of ours?" 

"The Pharaoh" Ruia quickly mumbled. 

Ashina blinked in utter disbelief. "I am sorry Ruia but I thought I just heard you say…" She stared at Ruia who just nodded. "The PHARAOH! Well, Ruia I knew you always got your man but you never cease to amaze me sometimes." She smirked before continuing. "I take it you two love each other very much and that is why there is a complication?" 

"That is one of the complications, there are more. A couple more." Ruia shook her head. 

"Go on dear. I will not interrupt anymore." 

"Jarha, the one I was supposed to wed too, that is Yugioh's High Priest. That is why I refused the proposal as well. I could not marry Jarha and live at the palace seeing Yugioh everyday. I could not hurt Yugioh that way, nor would we have ever resist the feelings we had for one another. I love him Ashina, more than life itself. I would and have risked my life for him. But apparently, he is not the one for me; I am destined for the Divine Father. How can I love anyone more than I do Yugioh? I cannot. I love him with my whole being, that I cannot imagine being with anyone else. So where does that leave me- in one very messed up situation. One lover, one mysterious man, and one heartbroken man who has done nothing wrong, except not be the man of my dreams and be a little over protective." 

Ashina rubbed Ruia's back, in hope of easing her friend's distress. "I see. Ruia, I am sorry there is not anything more I can do for you. If I could do something I would without hesitation. I know about that stupid rule in Memphis for people of your case and frankly, I will not stand by and watch you go through any more than what you already have. If something should go wrong, my door is always open to you so you can always come here if you need to. I am not the about to abandon a friend, especially my best friend. But I must say, I believe you should tell Yugioh about this, after all, he is partly responsible for this." 

" I have ever intention of telling Yugioh and just hope he spares me. You know the rule, I should be killed." 

"Spare you, nothing!" Ashina exclaimed. "If he pulls anything drastic I swear I will be the one to kill him." 

"Ashina, you cannot change society. I have tried it believe me. There is nothing left to do but let the fates do what they have planned for my unborn child and me. Maybe, maybe if it were anyone but the Pharaoh, society would have looked the other way...Royalty and Commoners do not have relationships together; it is simple not possible." 

"This is going to make things much harder for you both. Heed my words Ruia, I suggest you try and keep this as low as possible, my meaning the identity of the father. If someone found out that you were pregnant with the pharaoh's child, someone very much like Loki, then you put two lives in grave danger." 

"Thanks a lot Ashina, I never thought of that one. I was more worried about the immediate effects than long term." 

"Sorry if I start acting like a mother hen here but you are my number one priority now that I know of your situation. You are going to have to watch your back more carefully now Ruia. That is why, if this does not work out, the father's identity must remain a secret. If word does get out though come to me. Marc and I will help you in every way we can. My worst fear is losing you to something like that. We have already both been victims of this world. I do not need it crashing down on someone dear to me." 

"Thank you my friend. That means so much to me." Ruia smiled. "I am so glad you are alive Ashina." 

"I am glad that we found each other again." She glanced outside the window. " Sunset nears in a few hours. You better return home soon. Knowing you, your father does not know you are even here." 

Ruia stood and moved to the door. "If you hear anything about a riot in Memphis, I did not cause it " 

Ashina hugged her tightly. "Please be all right and do take care of yourself. And if things do work in some favor of yours and you are having the baby, let me know. Men just make horrible midwives. Trust me on that one." 

"I will be in touch, thank you." Ruia smiled once more and left, heading home. 

Ashina stood at the entrance to her home for quite some time, long after her friend had disappeared from her sights. "Be careful my friend." A single tear rolled down her face. 'Things are going to get far worse for you know. Ra please watch over her and her child.' 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ 

Ruia walked back into Memphis, still in utter disbelief. She was pregnant – with the Pharaoh's child. 'Oh Sekhmet what am I going to do? No one can learn the truth that I am carrying the heir to the Egyptian throne within in me. But what am I going to do when I actually begin to show? More importantly, what am I going to tell father? He is going to be so disappointed in me. Our fight about the not accepting the marriage proposal was horrible; I do not even what to guess how bad this fight will be. Sleeping with the Pharaoh has to be really high on his list of things that his daughter should not be allowed to do. Unless, what if father thinks it is Jarha's for some reason? Dear Isis, I am so confused. I have to tell Yugioh the truth, but I do not know how I am even going to see him, let alone tell him. Father is going to disown me, I see it now, and there is always a chance…that I will be killed. Uncle Ay, he…he will know what to do about Yugioh and myself. He knows the truth. He can help me. I know it." 

Moving quickly through the town, she hurried towards the temple of Ptah. Coming near the grand temple, a crowd blocked her travels. Weaving through the scarce holes, Ruia dimly wondered what was going on. 'Maybe Yugioh is in town at one of the temples or something.' 

"Dif you hear…one of the temples was attacked." One villager whispered. 

Ruia froze, straining to hear more of the conversation. 

"Ai, the Temple of Ptah." Added another. 

"Rumor has it, the bandits had ties to Loki…" 

"That is crazy, Loki was killed by Pharaoh Khu. There is no possible way." 

"If it was members of Loki's resistance, why attack the temple of Ptah? Why burn the temple priest alive like that? It makes no sense." 

Ruia gasped. 'Did the bandits know who I was, that I am the Divine Mother and attacked Uncle Ay because of it? They were burned alive because of me…I know it…. Uncle Ay.' "UNCLE AY!" 

The villagers that had been talking turned quickly to the sound on the painful scream. The one man recognized her instantly. "Young Ruia!" 

Ruia did not even wait to see what he had to say. Pushing forward through the crowd, she could fell the hot tears stream down her face, blurring her vision. 'Oh Osiris, please spare my Uncle…he cannot be dead. I refuse to believe that. Uncle Ay will be all right. I know it.' 

Finally she managed to make it to the front of the crowd. Armed guards surrounded the area, blocking her way from the temple entrance. From the grim and horror expressed on their faces, Ruia knew the truth –no one had survived the attack. "UNCLE AY" 

She tried to continue forward only to be restrained by one of the guards. "No, Uncle Ay! Please I have to check on my uncle. Let me go!" 

Jou held Ruia tightly. There was no way he could let Ruia see inside the temple; it reeked of death. No one had survived the attack, not even her uncle. Instead he held the young woman tightly to his chest, blocking her view of the gruesome scene. Petting her hair gently, he let her sob in vain. 

Ruia could not stop crying. 'This is it; this is the beginning of the end. Everything that I once knew, it is gone. Shattered. And there is nothing I can do, not even as the Divine Mother to put it back together again.'   
  


**Q and A******

Blackhawk - thanks for all the encouragment.....to answer you question - no, Jarha doesn't have an item, in fact no one except Yugioh does at the moment. They will be coming in very soon though. 

Sparky16 - okay that was the most creative death threat i have ever received, send me a duel monster card....Oi..... 

To everyone else - thank you all for the support and all the ideas. Means so much to me. 


	12. Age Fifteen: The First Month, part one

Disclaimer: Lots of disclaimers - I did not own the poem "Rose" that belongs to my roommate, the song "If I never knew you" belongs to Disney as well as Phil Colins song "Two Worlds". The quote "What I do, I do with no regrets" belongs to FFX, and the "Heart to Heart" is the opening lines to Inanna. If I missed anything, I apologise. 

Anya: Believe it or not, I am alive, despite the tropical storm outside. I know I have made everyone wait a good two and half months, but school and work are really taking up time, but I hope I am not disappointing anyone with this new chapter. Enjoy.   


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"Ruia!" Jou whispered forcibly. The young girl in his arms was long past the verge of hysterics. He needed to get her to calm down some before she made herself violently sick. 'Oh sure Jou, like she is really going to calm not, not when she just learned her uncle is dead.' He mentally scolded himself as he hugged Ruia closer. "It is okay Ruia, just cry and let it all out. I am here for you." 

Far too lost in her own mind, Jou's words to her did not even register. 'This is my entirely my fault, I just know it. Someone must have learned that either I was the Divine Mother and killed Uncle Ay to send a warning to me or knew that Uncle Ay was trying someone with strong magic and decided to find out whom it was. Regardless, I am to blame for the attack and more importantly I have the blood of all the temple priests on my hands.' She stared at her hand, expecting at any moment to see the crimson liquid on her fingers or on the palm of her hand. 'Osiris have pity on their souls. Their lives have been tragically cut short. Do not let my misdeeds forbade them in having a good afterlife. Let all their souls rest in peace.' 

Jour rocked the young woman in his arms and watched in awe as she raised her hand in front of her pale face and stare at it lifelessly. 'What is going on in that head of yours Ruia?' Slowly as if not to scare or startle her further, Jou reached out and grasped her hand tightly. "I know it hurts Ruia but we will all be here for you, your family, Anzu, Setto, Honda, Bakura, myself, and of course Yugioh," he whispered softly rubbing her hand gently, trying to get some form of a response out of her. 

"Yugioh…I want…to see…him." 

"I know you do Ruia, but there is no way for me to get you to him or he to you. Honda is not just with him, with the attack, all the other guards are around the Pharaoh. Too many questions would be raised if I brought you over to him now." Jou quickly apologized. "But that does not mean I will not try something later. I know you need to see him right now. You have my word, I will try later." 

"All my fault…" A crystalline tear rolled down her check, falling into the scorching sand, evaporating instantly. 'Just like life, here only for a moment before cruelly taken away.' 

"What is? You mean this attack Ruia?" He felt her nod. "Ra no, Ruia. None of this is your fault; do not begin to think like that. You know nothing to worry about. You are not to blame!" 

'But I am…' Ruia sighed. "I should have been here. I should have been able to help, to protect the temple, my friends, and my family." She stared blankly at the temple, expecting at any moment to see her uncle to descend down the temple stairs and assure her that he was indeed alive; that everything she had heard and saw had been nothing more than a lie. But that dream would never come to pass; this was indeed truly happening. 

"If you were at the temple or even came to help Ruia; you would have been killed as well. These people did not care whom they hurt it seems, whether it be men, women, or children. There was nothing you could have done, please do not believe differently. I know it feels like you should have been able to do more, but I assure you there is not. Just be grateful you were not there and spared such a horrible death." He squeezed her hand again. 'Nothing I say or do will make her feel any better about the situation. She has made up her mind – she is to blame even though she had nothing to do with the incident. And nothing Yugioh or I can say to her will ever make her believe differently. She is truly lost in her own personal doubt and guilt.' 

'Have I really been spared though?' Ruia thought as she clung to Jou tightly. 'I am still pregnant with Yugioh's child which means I will still be killed once the truth comes out. There is no guarantee that my child will be spared either. I know Ashina told me that I could stay with her but I cannot risk her life and reputation like that. She has her own problems and career to deal with. Uncle Ay was truly my last hope. He would have known what t do I just know it. Oh Sekhmet I desperately seek your guidance. What do I do now? Who do I turn to in this time of need? Is this how everything ends?' 

"Ruia this is honestly not your fault. I know you are scared and quite possibly confused, but know this – you could not have done anything to help here today." 

Ruia looked at Jou and blinked her dull purple orbs. 'But I am the Divine Mother; I could have done something. I could have saved them; I just know it.' She sighed deeply. 'I have failed in my responsibilities as the Divine Mother." 

"Where is your father? Is he here with you?" 

"At work." She responded automatically. "I do not know if he even knows what happened here today. He had a meeting with the High Priests I think. I am not sure, everything is just a huge mess right now." 

"He knows, especially if he had a meeting with the High Priests. They are all here aiding with the aftermath. Besides, I think all of Memphis and most of Egypt probably has heard of the horrible events that have taken place here this afternoon." 

Ruia nodded slowly. "Ai, you are probably right with that statement Jou." 

"RUIA!" 

Jou and Ruia both jumped at the sound of her name being called somewhere from inside the crowd. They watched as another temple priest pushed his way through the crowds, eyes scanning for the young woman. Spotting Ruia finally, he quickly ran over to the two teens. 

"Achilles!" Ruia moved from Jou's embraced and launched herself into his awaiting arms, sobs racking through her body once more. "Thank Ra you are okay." 

"Child, your father and I were so worried when we could not find you at your house. We were beginning to fear the worst. Come now, back to the temple of Sekhmet we will go. Your father is going to meet us there in just a few short moments. He will be so relieved to know that you are okay." He turned his gaze to Jou. "Thank you Jou for taking care of her. It means a lot to her father and I." 

Jou smiled. "Take care Ruia, I promise things will get better one day. You just have to believe that." He stood, dusting the sand off him. 

Ruia nodded. 'Unfortunately Jou, things are going to get a lot worse before they get better – if they ever do.' 

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"I should be over there." 

Setto suppressed a deep sigh. He understood Yugioh's frustration but there was nothing they could do. "I know you want to comfort her, but it is imperative that you stay here where you are protected from harm. It is still dangerous by the temple and the crowds. The thieves are still out there; we do not know their true motives yet. This attack may have been a trick to lure you out into the open. You must stay here." 

Steadying himself a top his horse, Yugioh continued to stare at Ruia's heartbroken form as she sobbed into Jou's arms. "I just want to be there for her, assure her that I will not rest until we find the person or the people responsible for murdering her uncle and the other temple priests. But most of all, I just want to hold her in my arms and tell her that I love her and will protect her with my life." 

"I understand, honestly I do. I would want to do the very same thing if the roles were reversed and Anzu was the one in so much pain. Her safety is the most important thing to me, but Yugioh, the only way we can protect our love ones is if we stay and alive as well. You really have to be careful out here. If anyone was to learn that Ruia was your weakness or Jarha found out you were the reason she would not marry him, it could spell trouble for not only the both of you, but Egypt as well." 

Yugioh rubbed his temples in frustration and pain. He knew he had to protect Ruia, but his people as well. There was no time for personal wants at the moment. "Have the villagers been questioned about the attack yet?" 

Setto nodded. "Bakura took a large group of troops and are questioning the crowds now. We should have a report from him within the hour. Maybe he will turn up a few leads about what happened here today." 

"Jarha?" 

"Is working with the local scribes, making and sending letters to send to the other towns, explaining the horrors that happened here today. I believe he is also asking for aide as well my Pharaoh." 

"Send another one of our messengers back to the palace with an order to have the workers there prepare meals for the soldiers and volunteers. Have them bring the food to the temple of Isis. She is the protector of families, we can offer prays to those who lost loved ones today to her to watch over the ones left behind." 

"It will be done Pharaoh. Shall I inform the other temple priests here in Memphis of your plan to issue more guards around the temples until these murderous thieves are brought to justice?" 

Yugioh nodded in agreement. "If you would Setto. The faster we have these guards stationed, the more likely we will catch these raiders and the faster this town will feel safe again." 

"We will find the people who did this Yugioh, I beset you. There is no doubt in my mind that we will find them. " Setto nudged his horse and started off in search of a messenger and the local priest dwellers. 

Turning his gaze back to Ruia, he smiled as he saw that Achilles had joined Ruia and Jou. 'Achilles had been friends with Ay since they were small children. It is only natural he knew Ay's niece as well, probably taught here too.' 

He fought against the impulse to gallop down the hill to where Ruia stood, eyes still fixed on the temple. 'Her world has suffered enough tragedy; this very well might kill her. Her uncle was the one person who understood the way she thought and acted. The one person she knew she could turn to when the world scorned her and now, that one stability is gone. This might just destroy her.' 

Playing with the reins of the horse, Yugioh thought back over the words Setto said. 'I have to stay safe in order to protect her and my country. But that does not make me feel any better about this situation. Ra, there must be a way that I can hold her in my arms and tell her that she is not alone, that I will be here for her…always. There must be something more I can do without giving away our relationship. For if that information was every to become public knowledge, Ruia would be in more danger than ever before. People would not hesitate to use her against me and I cannot let that happen. So then, how can I console her in this time of need without risking her life? I cannot just stand here and watch her life crumble around her. I want to hold her in my arms and promise to catch her if she wants to fall. I want her to know that I love her so much that I am willing to risk exposing our relationship right now just to hold her and protect her from her fears. But I cannot be selfish like that, I cannot risk her life like that." 

He sighed, still starting at Ruia and Achilles' retreating forms. " I wish I could do something for her and her family. Finding the murderous raiders that took her uncle's and the other priests' lives is a start, but it does not seem like it is enough. I need to assure everyone that I will protect him or her from the horrors of this world. But most of all, to tell Ruia that I am so sorry for not being there to hold her when she learned of the news and that no matter what I will not abandon her ever. But most of all, I want to tell her I love her and will always be here to protect her.' 

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Ruia sat in the living area still in utter shell shock at what had happened earlier that afternoon. She continued to stare at the nighttime sky, not even feeling her father draping a cloth around her shoulders until he lightly squeezed her shoulder. Raising her bloodshot, tear filled eyes at her father she mumbled a quick thank you pulling the tan clothe around her tightly. Despite the added warmth, Ruia's insides stayed ice cold. 

"Ruia, I wish I could take all your pain away but I cannot nor will not tell you this is some huge mistake. I swear to you, I will be here if you want to talk or even cry. You are my only daughter and my greatest fear is losing you." He grasped her hand tightly. 

"I…I should have…been there. My…magic could have prevented his death, all of them! I should have been there; it is my job as the Divine Mother. I failed everyone father! I failed Uncle Ay, the other temple priests, you, my country, and even the Pharaoh himself. Do you not see father, Uncle Ay died because someone learned I was the Divine Mother or knew Uncle Ay knew my identity. I have all those deaths on my hands, every last single one of them. I messed up so horribly father, I could have spared those innocent lives, and I just know it. My divinity would have been enough to save all of them." She sobbed uncontrollably. 

Sugoroku held his daughter close. "I know how it may feel Ruia, but this is not your fault. If you were at the temple, there is no guarantee that your divinity would have done anything to save lives. There is a greater possibility that I would have lost you as well though. I thank all the gods and goddesses above that you were not visiting your uncle this afternoon. Believe me daughter, it is not a mistake you were not at the temple; it was a blessing." 

"Do you have such little faith in me and my powers? Father the gods gave me this gift; simple robbers like this would not stand a chance against my divinity. It is my job to protect Egypt and its people. And today, I did not do that; I did the exact opposite. I let innocent people and one I claim to love suffer and die a vicious death. You will never convince me otherwise that I could not have stopped any of this." She buried her head into her hands. 'I failed them all.' 

"I have all the faith in the world in you, you know that Ruia, but you and Ay have said it before, you are not as strong as you should be. And if this is the case, then there is no guarantee your divinity would have done anything to help. And if you had tried, then your secret would be out and all the Pharaoh's enemies would be after you, not to mention the ones you will make on your own." He moved and sat down by his daughter. "We both know what I think of your gifts, but that does not mean I do not trust in them either. I just want to see you safe from any unnecessary danger or harm and these powers of yours, prevent that from ever happening. I am just scared from you, that is all." 

"Dangerous or not, I know I could have protected them." Her mind drifted back to the night at the palace when Loki had attacked. 'I did not know of my abilities then and I was still able to protect Yugioh. Mystical was there for me then, I know she would have been there that time as well. I could have helped, I would not have been so afraid of my powers; I could have spared all of them that torment, that pain, and even their deaths.' Moving a hand to her stomach, she carefully rubbed her thumb against it. 'What kind of world am I bringing you into small one? You're mother has already failed her father, Egypt, and now even you. Uncle Ay was my last hope. He would have understood my actions and helped me through this challenging time. Now all that I have left is father. I am going to have to tell him the truth about Yugioh's and mine relationship. Should I tell him now though, with everything that has happened to Uncle Ay and all? But if I wait, it will only make father even angrier with me for waiting to tell him. Oh Isis, Sekhmet, and Ra protect me. I know the customs of this village, please let my father choose an alternative path, I beg of you.' 

"Child, are you okay? You look miles away." 

"My apologizes father. I just had something on my mind. Actually, I need to talk to you about something important anyway." Ruia rubbed her hands together in anxiety. 'This is it; it is now or never.' 

Sugoroku stared at his only living relative left in the world. "Anything Ruia. You can tell me anything you want. I will sit here and listen." 

"Thank you." She took a deep breath. "The reason why I was not at the temple today…" She trailed off when she heard people approaching. 

"It must be villagers coming to express their condolences." He said apologetically as rose to greet the guests. "I will only be a short moment." 

Ruia nodded and pulled the blanket tighter around her shoulders. Personally, she did not mind the interruption. It was giving her time to contemplate exactly what she was going to say and how she was going to tell her father exactly. 

"Ruia…" 

Raising her head at the sound of her father's voice, she gasped softly at whom the visitor was. Standing there in front of her was Yugioh. Every coherent thought and idea that she had in her mind suddenly disappeared with the site of her lover before her. Dropping to her knees, Ruia realized that she did not need to be in the right state of mind to greet the Pharaoh; she could subconsciously do it. It was unsettling in a small way. 

Yugioh gulped hard. 'Ruia is far worse than I ever expected. It…it is like everything she has known and held dear is gone. Her spark and personality that I have fallen so much in love with is gone as well. Her spirit has been torn into shreds and is waiting for Osiris to come and claim the pieces. I have to tell her, somehow, that I am here for her and always will be.' Slowly he knelt to Ruia's level and timidly wrapped his arms around her sob shaken form. Pulling her close, tucking her head protectively beneath his chin, Yugioh softly whispered the words he knew would be able to console his lover. "I love you and I am here for you, always." 

Ruia nodded her head into his chest not caring how he was able to see her, just glad that he was there. "Thank you." She replied lifelessly. Gripping his robes tightly in her fist, her hand bumped lightly into the butt of his sword. 'He knows about our child! He is going to kill me here and now!' She went rigid in his arms. 

"Pharaoh Yugioh, my daughter and I are both honored to have you in our household. But if you do not mind me asking my King, what is your order of business with Ruia and I? Sugoroku asked watching the scene before him. 'Finally someone is able to console Ruia in her time of need. Yugioh is a fine ruler indeed.' 

"I came to express my condolences for your family's loss. Ay Menes was a fine man and an excellent temple priest. I just want to assure you and your daughter that my High Priests, army, and myself are doing everything in our abilities to find and capture these murderous raiders. You have my word, as Pharaoh of all Egypt." Yugioh stated, noticing that Ruia refused to relax in his arms. 

"Do you know who has done this to my Uncle?" 

"Ruia! That is a topic that you do not need to be asking or listening too. You will have to pardon her my Grace Ruia sometimes forgets her manners." 

"There is nothing wrong with asking questions or seeking answers to the injustices of the world." Yugioh lightly replied. "Now to answer your question dear Ruia, at this time we have few leads which I am confident will turn up a name or two. And I swear by Horus himself, I will bring your uncle's killer to justice and see to it that he pays for his crimes against Egypt." 

"Thank you Pharaoh." She whispered. 'I need to tell him now, about our child; I may never have this chance again. Ashina was right; Yugioh has the right to know that he was fostered an heir to the throne. But how can I bring that up to him now? Father is in the room and Yugioh has so much on his mind all ready and Uncle Ay…" she burst into tears once again. 

"Oh Ruia…" Yugioh tightened his grip, not caring that she was soaking his formal robes at all. All that mattered was that Ruia was in deep pain and lost within herself and there was nothing he could do at the moment to help her. Knowing that Sugoroku was still behind him, he softly pressed his lips a top her head. 'Ra watch over this woman.' 

"I am sorry my liege, I am getting your robes all wet. I beg your forgiveness." 

"You have nothing to be sorry for my child." Inside his heart was breaking. This was not the same woman he loved. This was a copy, a bad one at that. It was passive, weak and even formal. But at last, this was indeed Ruia Ana. He just wished he knew how to make things better for her. 

"Maybe a spot of wine and a good rest will help Ruia." Sugoroku spoke, desperately trying to think of anything that could help his daughter. He quickly moved from the room to find the necessary ingredients to help her. 

'Now is the time, I should tell Yugioh the truth, that I am pregnant with his child. But what if he tries to have me killed? No! Yugioh loves me; he would never do anything of the sort…right? Oh Uncle Ay, I wish we just had a little more time to talk; maybe then everything would have been okay. Now things are so confusing. I just do not know what to do anymore.' Ruia's head swam; nothing seemed to make sense anymore. Everything was just a jumbled concoction in her mind. 

"Ruia…please, talk to your father and I here. You are beginning to worry me deeply. This is not like you at all. I know how the pain feels when you lose someone you love. When I lost my father, my world collapsed all around me; I did not care about anyone or myself; all I felt was darkness. But then, you came to me, along the banks of the Nile and reminded that life was worth living for. That you would always be there for me when I needed you. And that is what I want to do for you. I want to be here for you, now more than ever. Please Ruia, let me help you." 

"Thank you…but you cannot help me. No one can." She whispered, eyes lowering towards the ground. 'How can I go on being the Divine Mother when I cannot protect my own family? How will I ever be able to protect the country, my child? I am nothing more than a failure; maybe it is best that I am pregnant with Yugioh's child. Soon everything is going to work out for the best; it just may not be in the way that I want.' She clutched Yugioh's robes tighter and pulled him closer. 'I may be seeing you sooner than I think Uncle Ay.' 

"Here Ruia, drink this." Sugoroku knelt down next to the couple, holding out a cup of wine. "It is watered down a bit, but it is enough to help soothe your nerves." 

Ruia moved away from Yugioh, shakily taking the cup from her father, bring it too her lips. The liquid was sweet tasting, but she paid little heed to it. Nothing was important anymore, nothing made sense to her, and everything was just a jumbled mess that threatened to consume her totally. 

"Why do we not get you upstairs Ruia and into bed? I think a little sleep will help get you over this shock. My Pharaoh, I hate to impose on your further, but do you mind helping me coax my daughter up into her room? For some strange reason, she seems to respond to you quite well." 

Yugioh bite his lip. Obviously he was not concealing his feelings for Ruia as well as he thought he was. "I know how she feels Sugoroku. I felt the very same way when my father passed away. And since we are so close in age, I think Ruia understands that I know what she is feeling, not that you do not." He gave a small wink to Ruia. 

"Ah, that makes a lot of sense Pharaoh." He helped his daughter to her feet, supporting her on one side while Yugioh supported her on the other. Together they brought Ruia to her room. Yugioh smiled as he brought the warm blankets around her, tucking her in tightly. 'I just want to lie there next to her, holding her until the pain goes away.' 

The two waited until they heard the regularity of Ruia's breathing, signaling she had finally left the tiredness win out and consume her body. Yugioh looked down at his sleeping lover, wishing more and more to be able to take away her pain. 'Someone like Ruia who is pure and true should not be subjected to the harshness that she has been. And yet her soul, though tormented, remains untainted. She still believes in the goodness in the world. If only things could be different. Ra knows she is the perfect wife for me and yet it shall never be. I am destined for the Divine Mother, but can she really be as pure as my Ruia? I guess only time will tell.' "You will take care of her right? I know it seems weird that I ask Sugoroku, but I understand the pain that she will face. It will not be an easy road, for either of you." 

"You have my word Pharaoh, I will be there for Ruia no matter what. She is my daughter and I love her. Nothing will stop me from being there for her. She is the most important person in my life." He gingerly brushed a piece of her golden locks from her eye. "I know I do not show it enough to her, but I do love her. And despite the circumstances, maybe now, I can finally show her what she deserves." 

Yugioh smiled. "I think…I think that would mean the utmost to her, especially now when she probably feels so very lost. But if you excuse me, I still have to visit the other temple priest's families. I came here first because I saw how distraught young Ruia was when she learned of her uncle's condition. I thought it would be best to come here first and console her right away." 'Besides, I would never forgive myself I was not there for Ruia in her time of need, just like she was there for me when father died. I needed to hold her and make sure she knew that I love her and am here for her. But I still have to wonder, is it enough? Even as I talked to her, she seemed so cold and distant, broken. She needs more than just comforting words right now; what she needs is to be saved. From what, I am not sure; it is more than the darkness, almost like it was herself. But what is Ruia hiding? What has her so scared that it was able to do the impossible and break her." 

He sighed and walked out of the Motou household. Waiting outside was Jou and Honda, stationed in front of the doorway. Moving next to them, he lowered his gaze and sighed deeply again. 

"I take it she is in the same state I left her in." Jou said, walking towards the palace. 

"If anything Jou, I think she is worse than when you left her. At least before, she was somewhat responsive. But the more time I was in there with her, the more she clamed up and let the darkness take over her." 

Honda bit his lip. "Ruia is so strong though. Losing her uncle must have been more devastating than we thought if she letting the darkness win like this. Is there anything you, we can do for here possibly? I mean I hate to see something like this happen to her." 

"I am not sure if there is anything we can do for her, not easily at least. And the biggest obstacle standing in our way is not our statuses, but Ruia herself. Until she is willing to let the light lead her back to us, she will not accept any of our help. Ra, I just feel so helpless." 

Jou and Honda looked at one another. They knew how Yugioh felt; they wanted to help both of their friends but did not have the means to do so. Everything was let up to the fates again and right now, the fates were no one best friend. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ 

Yugioh paced back and forth in front of his throne in anxiousness. He had expected the reports about what the villagers had seen hours ago and they had yet to appear before him. Time was against him, the longer the reports took to assemble and arrive, the more time the murderous raiders had to flee the country. He had promised, no swore to Ruia that he would find the people that had killed her uncle and he was not going to break that vow to her. It meant too much to her, nor could she handle another disappointment. "Where are those reports?" 

"I am sure they will be here soon, Yugioh." Setto sighed. He understood Yugioh's frustration at not being able to do anything but remain in the palace and wait. They both were never ones to sit down and let things happen on there own time. Maybe that is why they were such good friends. "Bakura and Jarha will be here shortly, I am sure of it. Then we will have a name hopefully and will be able to bring these criminals to justice." 

"Time is not in our favor Setto. And pacing here doing nothing but wait is not making me feel any better. The men that attacked the temple were ruthless; there is no telling whom they will attack next. No one is safe, not even Anzu and Ruia. They are in just as much danger as you and I, if not more because they have no one to protect them like we do. They have no guards to protect and watch their every move. That is why we must find these temple raiders and punish them swiftly. " He sat down in his throne and buried his head into his hands. "Ra, I hate feeling so helpless, especially when there are so many lives at stake." 

Setto stared at his friend in fear and doubt. "I know you are scared Yugioh, but this is not the time to lose our heads. We will find these murders, but we have to make sure we think everything through rationally. And if you have Ruia on your mind, you may not be able to do that. You will get careless and that could lead to your death. Then who will protect our people, Ruia herself? What then Yugioh? I know it hurts, but you cannot think about her right now. You have to concentrate on the issue at hand and try to react to the news as impartially as you can." 

"It is not that easy Setto, not when I saw how hurt she was. I just want to murder the people that made Ruia so unhappy. Ra, I cannot get the image of my mind at seeing her so weak and lost." He ran a hand through his hair in frustration, eyes brimming with tears. "No one deserves to be in that sort of pain Setto, not you, Anzu, my people, and especially Ruia herself. I just wanted to hold her and never let go, but I had to, because of her father. He was suspicious of her being so clingy to me and I know I only fueled his doubts about us more" 

"He does not know the truth right?" 

Yugioh shook his head. "No, I was able to come up with a reason why Ruia talked to me; I attributed it to when my father died. I explained that since we were the same age, I understood the pain that she was feeling a bit better just because I felt the very same way only a few years before. But I know there are still questions looming in his mind; Sugoroku is not stupid by any means of the imagination…"He trailed off as footsteps approached the main room. "We can continue this later Setto." 

Setto nodded and waited to see whom was coming. They did not have to wait long as Bakura hustled into the room, a bit flushed and out of breathe. 

"I have some of the reports you wished to see Pharaoh." Bakura said, walking briskly up to the throne, carrying a thick scroll in his hand. "Jarha is bringing the other scroll in momentarily. He is just putting the finishing touches on it with the scribes." He set the scroll down on a table directly in front of the throne and unrolled it for the others to view. 

"What do you have here Bakura?" Setto asked, glancing over the pictures and writings that covered the scroll. Yugioh moved to stand next to him, reading the print. 

"Testimony of some of the villagers who were around the temple of Ptah shortly before the attack began or finished depending on how you want to view it. According to many of the townspeople, nothing was out of the ordinary. People were in the town square buying their foods and necessities like normal and the local scribes were busy as ever recording our food intakes since the flood season is soon to begin. The activity around the temple was normal; as well nobody seemed out of place. The attack caught everyone off guard; no one was expecting a thing." Bakura looked down. "My Pharaoh, Setto you do know what that means right?" His chocolate brown eyes danced with fear and knowledge, both from acquired wisdom and hidden visions. Egypt was in far more danger than anyone expected. And there was an even greater possibility that there was nothing they could do either. 

Yugioh covered his face with his hands. "Great Ra, the raid on the temple, it was not a large band of men that attacked, rather only one or two people at most. People who would have blended into the gathering crowd when the chaos broke out." He felt his heart crash into his stomach, leaving him feeling sicker than he had ever felt before. "He could have been in the crowds, watching us scurrying about knowing full well we would never link him to the crimes. He was there mocking us, I just know it." He moved back to his throne, unable to stand any longer. His legs could no longer support him. 

Setto traced his finger over the drawing on the scroll. "We are dealing with a very crafty and crazy individual if these drawings of the layout of the temple of Ptah are accurate. According to this, there is only one entrance and that means only one exit." 

"The drawing is correct Setto, there is indeed only one entrance to the temple that we know about. So that means, there is only one exit route the murder or murders could have taken unless as I said before, there is a passage way we are all not aware of. I know some of the newly constructed shrines have them, but Ptah's was built long before our grandfather's time." Bakura replied. "I guess however, anything is possible." 

"Is there anyway to find out whether or not this particular temple has passages? Would any of the other temple priests know, like Achilles perhaps?" Setto asked, looking at his two friends in frustration. 'Just when we might have found answers, more questions reveal themselves, ones that might never have direct answers.' 

Yugioh shook his head idly and raised his head to face his friends. "The knowledge of hidden passages in the temple is safely guarded by the Head Temple Priests and is not disclosed even to any of his followers or fellow Temple Priests. The information is only passed from High Temple Priest to High Temple Priest when the elder is to longer able to continue his duties and that is normally when they are on their death beds. So there is no way that Achilles would know about secret passages in Ptah, only Ay would know those secrets and unless he wrote them down somewhere, that information is now lost. Unless…" 

"Unless what Yugioh?" 

"He told his niece. The two were very close and I know Ay had promised Ruia's mother that he would always protect his niece. He might as told her the information in case something like this ever occurred." 

"Ruia? Would he risk his job and life like that by telling Ruia that sort of information?" Setto asked doubtfully. "I mean it is a possibility but an unlikely one. No, I believe that he would never reveal the passages, which is a good thing – that means our temple raider did not know about it either, if there is even on at the temple. 

"Then how did he escape unnoticed?" Yugioh pounded his fist into the throne, ignoring the pain that shot up through his arm. "Someone had to have seen something. People do not up and vanish into thin air. It is not possible!" 

"Pharaoh, people did see some things." Spoke a new voice. Jarha trotted in, carry another large scroll. "I beg your forgiveness Pharaoh that this report took a long as it did, but the scribes and I had a difficult time piecing together all the conflicting information that we gathered from our groups. However, we think we might have stumbled upon the answer. One villager, a woman, had been in the marketplace and was heading to the temple of Isis to leave an offering and passed by the temple of Ptah shortly before the attack occurred. She recalled seeing a cloaked man leaning against the temple, muttering to himself. As she passed, she noticed the words were in our native tongue. The words she heard were pharaoh, answers, and retribution. At the moment, she thought he was giving thanks for something, but when all the confusion broke out, she realized that she was wrong. Because of the cloak, she did not get a clear look at his face, but noticed one small detail…" he trailed off, not wanting to say what they had discovered. 

"Please continue Jarha, what did this woman see?" 

He turned his head towards Bakura. "She noticed a single strand of white hair, much like Bakura's. In fact, that is the comparison she made. I am not accusing you of any wrong doing Bakura, we know you were here at the Palace at the time of the attack, however well I think you all know what I am alluding too." He lowered his gaze and stared at the floor. He could not bring himself to name the accused. It was too painful to watch someone's world shatter. He too knew what it felt like when he lost Ruia. 

'So it has finally come to pass, as I feared all those years ago. The darkness that I saw all around him has finally claimed his as its pawn. This is truly a great loss for my family. I was positive Athena would be able to pull him back from the darkness and back into the light. I wonder, does he even know? And if he did, is he so lost in the darkness that he did not even care?' Bakura shook his head in utter disbelief. 'I lost my brother, my twin, forever.' 

Jarha glanced at Setto and Yugioh who both were wearing grim expressions. "Bakura? You do understand the nature of the situation?" 

"Ai, I know. It was Ryou that saw at the temple. I understand what Jarha was saying too." He took a deep breath. "I cannot say I am surprised though. A few years ago, I saw darkness surrounding my brother, looming its dark web around him. I feared for him deeply. I did not bring this to anyone's attention sooner because well, I thought he was getting better. I stopped having the visions when he married Athena and the darkness just seemed to all but disappear. I see now that I was gravely mistaken. The darkness had not disappeared, rather grown stronger with the appearance of the light. It was waiting in the shadows for the right moment to strike and now I fear that it is too late for us to do anything. Ryou was always a crafty and sly individual. This could not have come at a worse time for Athena. This news will devastate her and for someone in her condition, she does not need that." 

Yugioh raised an eyebrow in curiosity. "What is wrong with Athena? Is she ill?" 

"No, my Lord, in fact quite a different problem. We just learned yesterday that she is a month pregnant. She is carrying Ryou's child as we think; actually I should say children. I do believe she may be carrying twins within her. She did not want anyone else to know until she saw Ryou and told the wonderful news to him. But from today's events and evidence, I wonder if she ever told him. I would sincerely hope Ryou is not so far gone as to know that his wife was pregnant and still committed this horrible act of violence. Ra, how do I ever break the news to Athena? If it indeed was Ryou, I know we can show him no partial favor, or that we would even consider it knowing full well what he did, that the penalty for his crimes is instant death." 

"I am deeply sorry Bakura but you are correct. I have to stand by the laws of our fore Pharaohs and live up to their example. I cannot allow Ryou to continue to live among our people after what he did. Setto, send the scrolls out immediately that Ryou is now considered a suspect and wanted for questioning in the deaths of the Temple Priest at Ptah. Jarha, would you please send the same notice to our neighboring cities? They should be made aware of the latest developments. Bakura, I know you want to help, but I feel that this is too personal of a subject for you to be involved with directly. Instead, I wish you to stay with Athena, make sure her needs are met as well as being a shoulder to cry on for I fear that you are correct, this news will devastate her." 

Bakura sighed in pain. "I understand Yugioh. It shall be done as you wish. All that I ask of you is that when you capture my brother, may I please speak with him? I want to know exactly why he did the things that he did. I need answers, Athena will too, just for a piece of mind." He did not even wait for a reply, just quickly fled from the room before anyone could see the crystalline tears roll down his porcelain face. 

"I cannot imagine what he is feeling right now. To be betrayed by your own brother, your twin nonetheless, that just has to be the worst feeling in the world." Jarha whispered softly, so his voice would not travel down the hall and to Bakura's well-trained ears. "I know how much in pain me when Ruia turned on me and denied my proposal to her, but this has to be far worse." 

Yugioh eyes narrowed. 'Ruia did no such thing to you Jarha. She was just following what her heart desired. I am sorry you were hurt, truly I am, but that gives you no right to say she betrayed you when she was perfectly honest with you, minus whom the other man was. And even then, she cannot just stop what her heart longs for…' He took a deep breath to calm his raging temper. "I feel bad for him as well but there is nothing we can do for him. Ryou made this choice and no one else. And while Bakura might have foreseen his own brother's downfall, there was nothing he could have done to save his brother if this was what the fates willed. It is an unfortunate tragedy, one I wish we did not have to deal with but it is one. Let all of Egypt know, the murderer at the temple of Ptah is indeed the brother of the High Priest Bakura, his twin Ryou. Also let it be known that when he is captured, the raider will be put to death." 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ 

Ruia laid against her cool pillow, hugging her blankets close to her chin. She never wanted to move from her bed again. There was too much pain and heartbreak out in the real world and she wanted no part of it. The fates had already taken her mother, her uncle, and even denied her from her one true love, Yugioh; she was terrified to see what other horrors that she could come across. 'But I have already set myself up for another disappointment, my child may never know his mother and his father will probably never claim him as his own. What I am I to do know? The one person who might have understood what I was going through is now dead, gone forever without anyway of coming back to me. I am truly facing the world and my father alone now.' She pulled the blanket over her head, shielding herself from the outside world. 'I am not ready for this, to be all-alone, to face the world on my own as the Divine Mother, to be a mother in itself. I just want to know what I am to do. One way I bring about the downfall of Yugioh's reign. The other, I risk living in scorn for the rest of my life. Which is the right path? Both end in such tragedy and I have had enough of that dealt to me already. I do not think I could handle another harsh blow. It seems like happiness is only a distant dream, one I am never to make a reality. I guess that is a price of divinity – you are never truly happy, rather live your life in despair and disappointment. And if that is true, why do I even bother? I have already screwed up so much…' 

"Ruia…you have not messed up at all." A soft voice whispered soothingly, pulling the blanket away from her face. Mystical stared down at her young protégé with concern etched into her face. She had seen the dark path this child had been subconsciously wandering down. The fears and self doubts Ruia had been harboring were threatening to consume her entire being. All it was going to take was one final push and Ruia would never be able to recover. Mystical refused to let that happen, ever. Ruia was too important to the future of this nation, to Yugioh, to her family, and Mystical herself. She could not allow Ruia to continue to down the path she was. Even though it did not appear this way to Ruia, there is still so much to lose. She had to remind Ruia that there was still things worth fighting for. 

"Go away Mystic, I do not want to hear about the goodness of the world; it does not exist. Everything about love, justice and peace, it is all just a lie so everyone can go about their lives naively believing they are happy and safe. And what amazes me the most, everyone believes in those lies until one day something comes along and shows you the worlds true natural, that it is nothing more than a bleak, cold, and unforgiving world that wants to see its people in pain and suffering." Ruia buried her face into her bed, sobbing. "I will not live like this anymore. It is not worth it, I refuse to continue believing in the goodness and righteousness that I am to be fighting for when the gods and goddesses refuse to show me that it even exists. No, I am done, with all of it Mystical." 

Mystical bit her lower lip in fear. She understood her mistress's pain and self-doubts, but there was something about Ruia's tone. It was like, Ruia actually believe what she was saying and not letting her sorrow control her words. Things were far worse than what she had originally feared, not only was Ruia giving up on her divinity, but it seemed like she was giving up on herself as well. Her fighting spirit, the one that made Ruia different from all the other girls in Memphis, probably all of Egypt, was gone, possibly never to return. "Ruia, my child, listen to me. I know, no I should not say that, there is no way for me to know how much pain you truly are in. I doubt anyone really could but you. But please, I need you to listen to me and talk to me, let me understand how you are feeling. I know you said you did not want to listen to all the things the world still has left to offer you because all it seems to give you is grief. But we both know that is not true. You still have so much left to fight for, not to mention, there is an innocent child in all this too. Do you not want a better world for he or she to grow up in? That alone should be reason enough for you to grieve, but continue pushing on. Your child needs you too." 

"How…how did you know…that I am…with child?" Ruia asked, in utter shock. She raised her head and faced her guardian, for the first time, feeling able to freely talk about her current situation. 

"I am your guardian Ruia, your protector, I know things about you that you probably have forgotten over the years, but it is my duty to know them. I let you lead your life freely, but it is still my job to know what you are doing. You have to tell him Ruia, before it is too late. Yugioh has a right to know the truth, about having an heir to the Egyptian throne." She placed a hand to over stomach. "Yes, I can feel it, this child of yours, he or she will be strong in magic. Magic the world has not seen in centuries. Indeed, a gifted child this one will be." 

"I wish you had not told me that Mystical. I am scared enough about being pregnant, let alone thinking about the possibilities that my child will posse magic so strong that he or she may not be able to control it. Oh Ra, what if he or she is the child the prophecy talked about? You know the legend, about one of the chosen children falling to the darkness. What, what if it is my child? Oh Ra, what will I do then Mystical? I thought I had enough to worry about with telling my father, this is far worse. I just do not know what to do anymore, everything is just so confusing, so jumbled in my head that I am just ready to forget all of it and simply disappear." Her breaths came out short and fast. She could feel the sweat form on her face in fear and apprehension. 

Mystical clasped her slender fingers to Ruia's shoulders and coaxed her from her fetal position and helped her lay on her back. "Deep breaths child, shh it will be okay, we shall think of some type of solution. Panicking however will not help the situation in anyway. I promise, we will get you through this horrific time, together. You just cannot give up, I know there is a way we can get you through this." 

"How? Everything is stacked against me, just like it always is, from being with Yugioh and now with me being pregnant. I am unwed Mystic and I know in some cities in Egypt that is okay, but around here, people are not as accepting. Sure, they still celebrate the blessing of being with child, but the mother, once she has that child is dead. They will kill me and since my baby is the Pharaoh's, there is even the possibility that they could decide to kill him as well since he is a threat to the Egyptian throne. He would impure bloodlines. I am not royalty. But I am getting ahead of myself here. I seem to underestimate the threat my father could raise. He might kill me and we will not have anything to worry about at all!" She groaned. "What do I do now Mystical? Any path I choose leads to even more heartache and even…my death." Ruia could feel her breathing become quicker with each possible new threat to her and her child came to mind. She could not handle this, especially not alone. But that was her only option, any other path that she chose she hurt someone deeply. 

"Shh my child, you need to lay down and relax. I promise you, no matter what, I will be here for you. Please Ruia, I know that you are scared and you have every right to be, but you have to stay calm and rational. Panicking is not healthy for either you or your unborn child." Mystical soothed, feeling the sense of fear and dread building in her own stomach. 'I cannot help but sense impending trouble for my young protégé, but she has all ready suffered so much, I am not sure she can handle much else.' She took a deep breathe before continuing. "I know you do not want to hear this my child, but you need to tell your father the truth, about everything. You cannot do this alone, he needs to know." 

"But father will never understand how much Yugioh and I really care for one another. He will, well I am not sure what he will do to me but I know it will not be a good thing. He did not even like my singing because it brought shame to the family, how will he every understand this? This will sure destroy my family's name; I am carrying the illegitimate heir to the Egyptian throne. That is a far cry from being called a siren for singing; I cannot wait to see what he does when I tell him that I am pregnant." She took several deep breaths to calm her racing heart, though it did very little to actually calm her down. 

"He needs to know Ruia. You cannot hide this from him forever. Eventually you will begin to really show and then what will you do? Your father needs to know the truth before this gets any farther or before someone else learns that you are pregnant, the wrong people. You are the Divine Mother, carrying a child that the gods and goddesses may or may not bless with abilities. You and your child need protected and your father might be able to do that." 

Ruia thought for a couple moments, considering what Mystical was saying carefully. Her words made a lot of sense, but could she really risk telling her father the truth? 'I cannot be selfish here, my child needs to be protected at all costs and his or her needs to come first, which means, not only do I need to tell Yugioh the truth, but my father as well.' "Okay Mystical, you win. Well not really win, but what you say is absolutely right; my father needs to know the truth, about everything." 

"Does this mean what I think it does Ruia?" 

Tossing the heavy covers off her, Ruia gingerly stood with a sense of purpose. "I have to face my fears and accept the consequences of my actions. Father needs to know the truth, that he has either a granddaughter or grandson on the way. I just hope the fates are smiling down on me for once and father will not be rash and decide on a harsh punishment, not when giving life is such a miraculous event. I just pray that for once, things go in my favor." Even as she spoke this, she could still feel the apprehension rise in her chest. Saying that she was going to talk with her father was one thing, actually doing it was another. 

Mystical Elf gave a small rest-assuring smile. "I know that they will Ruia; I have no fears about that. Just keep in mind, that sometimes the best results are not always what we want them to be. You just have to remember to keep everything in perspective and not make rash decisions when not all the facts have been presented to you yet. Promise me Ruia that you will do that." 

Ruia blinked. "I…I promise Mystic." 

Mystical nodded, then returned to her card form. 

Ruia took a deep breath. 'I guess it is now or nothing. It is time to confront my fate.' 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ 

'When did I lose such control over my life, over my people, and over Egypt?" Yugioh thought to himself as he stared out over the city. Night had fallen over the majestic land giving it a calm, peaceful look. He knew that could not be any farther from the truth. Evilness lurked in every corner, every crack of the city, waiting for the right moment to claim its next victim. And worst of all, the innocent victims were aware now, just unable to defend themselves or protect the ones that they loved. He was not even sure he could protect his people anymore, not after what had happened earlier this evening. Slowly he pulled out his guardian card and stared at it tiredly. Flicking it into the air, he whispered. "Dark I need to talk, I need your help." 

A bright light filled the room before dimming into nothingness. "Master." The Dark Magician spoke as he bowed, staff in hand. 

Yugioh shook his head. "How many times do I have to tell you, you do not have to call me master. It is too formal sounding Yugioh will be fine. We are equals Dark, nothing more nothing less." He said with a tiny smile. 

Dark nodded. "My apologizes." He looked over at his young apprentice. "I see the events from this afternoon weigh heavily on your mind; however I can sense that it is not from the attack itself rather the affects that it is having on young Ruia. You are scared that the darkness maybe out to claim her next as their pawn. She is strong Yugioh; the darkness will have to put out a very strong assault to claim her as one of its own. 

"It may have all ready…" He turned and faced his guardian and friend. You did not see how she looked after she learned her uncle had been murdered. I have never seen her so defeated, so ready to give up on everything. Her whole world shattered this afternoon and I am not sure I or anyone for that matter will be able to help her pick up the shards." He buried his head into his hands. "I just wish I knew what to do. I hate seeing her like this, no one deserves to be in that much pain." 

"Young Ruia was very close to her uncle, this is very true. He played a big role in raising her much like her own father. But the relationship was deeper, that much I have seen. Ay seemed to understand why Ruia acted the way that she did because he DID understand. He had seen it in his own twin sister, Ruia's mother. I gather that he was able to soothe Ruia's feelings of hurt when her father lectured her about being traditional. So when Ay died, a part of Ruia did too. Not only had she lost an uncle, but a friend and ally as well." 

"And with Ay gone, Ruia feels that no one will understand her and her ways. No wonder she seemed so broken; the realized the truth. She would have to conform to her father's wishes, to society's standards. Mix all that in with her grieving, no wonder she was the way I saw her." He sighed with his own realization. 

"Ruia is a strong-willed individual. Do not give up on her just quite yet. Though she is grieving now, she may just pull through just yet." Dark sat down, resting his staff across his lap with a thoughtful expression on his face. "I know it seems all is lost, however, its not, yet at least." 

"No you are right. When I was with her, I could sense that she still had something left to fight for. What that was, I could not even begin to fathom what it was. At the same time however, I was also getting the sense of great fear in the thing she was trying to fight for. I know if her father was not in the room or if she had been in a clearer state of mind. I just wish I knew what the other problem was. I do not want her to be all alone in facing whatever demons she is. I want to be there for her, just like she was for me." 

"Do you have notion to what she may be up against?" 

Yugioh paused, and then shook his head. "I do not have the slightest idea. I think however, losing her uncle was a big blow to her current dilemma. Whatever mess she has fallen prey too though, I know for a fact that she would have turned to Ay. But with him gone, so does her only support she has ever known, which means the darkness may have an easier time pulling her in. Ra, I am so worried about her. I just do not know what to do to help her. I feel so helpless." 

"Until Ruia decides that she needs help; there is not much you can do, however have you tried praying to Ra and Thoth? Maybe they can aid her in ways we cannot. It is an option, one I suggest you seriously take into consideration." 

"Ai I all ready have. I love her so much Dark that praying to our gods just does not seem like enough. Maybe it is because I am divinity I feel I should be able to do more, or maybe I am just that much in love with her that nothing will ever feel like enough. I just want to hold her and assure her, kiss her, and just be with her forever. But I cannot and that just breaks my heart. I cannot imagine the inner turmoil she is going through. At least when father died, I had you, Setto, Bakura, and even Jarha. Ruia has Anzu and her father, but I still wonder if it is enough. I cannot lose her Dark; there is just something about her that sends chills down my spine, even on the hottest days. I know we can never be together, we have discussed this before, but knowing she was there, in my life, it was enough. Now…now I am not nearly as sure." 

"Yugioh, she knows how you feel about her, that much I am confident on." 

"Then what is scaring her so badly? What can be worse than death? What has her so upset that the darkness is her only option out?" 

The Dark Magician suppressed a deep sigh. "Sometimes Pharaoh, the darkness is not always the cruelest path a person can experience. Sometimes death is the easiest way out because life is the hardest task ever created. Living, truly living my young friend is what scares Ruia so deeply." 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ 

Sun streamed through the window, resting directly on Ruia's tear streaked face. No matter how much she willed sleep to overtake her, she simply could not fall into any type of a slumber. She could feel the fatigue settling into her body, right along side the heavy depression that griped at her heart, freezing it with her own doubts and fears. 'Even the weather is out to make my life difficult.' She brought her blankets tighter around her shaking body. No matter how hard she tried, she could not stay warm. 'Maybe if I stay here in bed then all problems will just go away.' Even as she thought that, she knew that could never happen. Life just did not work that way. 'Maybe I should take Mystic's advice and talk to my father. I have to tell him at some point about my pregnancy, but now that later. It is not going to be long before I start to show, really so that is. I have to do this now, not matter what the consequences are. I just hope father understands.' 

Shrugging the blankets off, she gingerly stood ignoring the queasiness she felt in her stomach. Ruia could not decide what the source was today – the baby, confronting her father, her depression, not eating, or a combination of all of them. Quickly as she could Ruia changed into a white robe before ascending down the stairs in a slow, pain-filled walk. 'Maybe he is not at home.' Her conscious sung to her with hope. 'No, father would never leave me, not with the state I am here. He may not agree with my personal beliefs, but he would never abandon me like this either. Besides I cannot back out of this, if I do, I may never have the courage to tell my father the truth again. Then where will that leave my child and I?' 

"Father? Are you around?" Her voice sounded so unfamiliar, even to herself. It was tired and strained sounding. It scared her to the point where it sent chills down her spine. Never had her own voice sounded so foreign to her own ears. This whole ordeal was starting to take an even heavier toll on her, physically, mentally, and now emotionally. 'What is happening to me?' She thought as she looked around for her father, trying desperately to suppress the feelings of dread. 

"Ruia?" her father called, coming into the room behind her. "Is everything alright my child? Do you need something, food, water?" He wiped his hands on his robes and gave her a curious glance. Though yesterday had to be one of the most horrific days in his life, Sugoroku had to continue on living his life as normally as he could, for his daughter's sake. Though he was greatly troubled by his brother in law's death, he first concern was on Ruia full heartedly. She was not handling the news of her uncle's passing very well at all; he vowed inwardly to make sure Ruia had everything she needed to make this painful transition just a little bit easier. 

The queasiness in her stomach increased at the mention of food or any substance for matter, even the smell of cooking beans in the other room made her feel ill. "No father, I am not hungry, rather if it is all right, I would like to talk to you about…about something important, very important." 

Sugoroku noted the seriousness in his daughter's voice. Gently he grasped her upper arm and led her into the living area and sat down on one of the chairs. "All right Ruia, what do you wish to tell me?" He could not miss the appearance of his daughter. 'She looks so pale, so deathly ill. Ay's death affected her far greater than I ever thought possible. What could be so important though that she would risk her health in telling me now?' 

Ruia looked at her father and then down at her hands, twisting them in a nervous fashion. 'I can do this, I have tell my father the truth about everything. I cannot hide this any longer, not only for my baby's sake, but my own as well.' Ruia took a deep breath. "Father, what I am going to tell you is not only going to be a shock, but probably disappointing as well. All that I ask is that you listen to me and try to understand why I did the things that I did." 

"Ruia, what ever trouble you have managed to get yourself into, I promise I will try to help you to the best of my abilities, you are my daughter, my only daughter." He felt the nervousness build up in his throat. Whatever Ruia had managed to do, he could tell it was far beyond what she had ever done before. And if that was the case, it spelled certain destruction for his family. 

'To be blunt or tell it from the beginning, what should I do? Either way, father is going to lose it, but maybe if I explain my reasons before I tell father the truth, that just might soften the blow some.' Ruia looked at her father. "Do you remember when we discussed Jarha's proposal to me and I was adamant about not marrying him? I told you then that I had no feelings for him, that I just saw Jarha as the older brother type. What I did not tell you that another factor in my decisions was that my heart all ready belonged to another person, one that I have practically known my entire life, since I was five." 

Sugoroku blinked in shock and surprise. "If there was another man dear Ruia, why did you never mention him? I am sure that we could have worked something out instead of leading poor Jarha on like that. Why…why did you never mention him to me before today?" 

"Because, I knew you would never approve of him," she whispered softly. "Or society for that matter." Ruia raised her head and looked her father in the eyes. "The man I am in love with and always will be is not a criminal, so please do not worry about that father. He is a well-respected individual who could provide for me in every way Jarha could, if not better. However, we both know we could never be together despite how much we cared for the other." 

"I do not understand. If this man were not a criminal, why would I object to him, especially if he could provide things for you that I cannot, finally give you the life that you deserve? If anything he sounds like the perfect person for you, if what you say is true, that he truly loves you. I do not understand why you kept this from me. What is so horrible about this man that no one would accept your relationship. It is not like you are in love with the Pharaoh or something dishonorable like that." 

Ruia took in a sharp breath not believing her father was able to stumble upon the truth accidentally. 'Dishonorable…he thinks a relationship is bad, what is father going to think when I tell him that I am carrying the heir to the throne within me? What will happen to me then? Dear Sekhmet, give me the strength to get through this for I fear greatly for my and my child's well-beings.' 

Sugoroku stared at his daughter's shocked expression. 'I was only joking about the Pharaoh and she being in a relationship, but from her reaction it is as if I guessed what she was going to tell me, that she is indeed in love with Pharaoh Yugioh, but that simply cannot be. Ruia would never get herself involved in such a delicate and degrading situation, would she? Surely she would know that she is nothing more to the Pharaoh than an object, not someone he would love and cherish for the rest of her life. We are common people, not royalty, I must have misread her reaction wrong.' He stared at Ruia more, his confidence diminishing with each passing moment. "Oh Ruia, for Ra's sake, tell me it is not true, please tell me you did not fall in love with the Pharaoh and he is the reason why you declined Jarha's proposal." Disbelief and anger crept into his voice. 

"I…I…wish I could but I have to confirm your worst fears, Yugioh is the reason why I turned down Jarha's proposal. I love him father and I know that is the last thing in the world that you will want to hear, but it is honest truth." 

She watched as her father took several deep breaths, his face deep red in anger. "Ruia Ana, do you understand what you have done, what you have risked? You are just infatuated with Pharaoh Yugioh because of what he represents, it is not love at all! And because of that, you turned down a perfectly good proposal over some relationship that you can conjure up in your mind. Do you understand your actions at all daughter? The Pharaoh does not love you; you mean absolutely nothing to him. You are nothing more than object, something to use then toss away like you never even exist!" 

"That is a lie! I know he loves me!" Ruia shouted, her own temper rising. 

"No Ruia, he tricked you. He does not love you at all. It is a cruel trick that all the Pharaohs before Yugioh practiced as well. Believe me daughter, he does not love you and I forbid you to ever go near him again! You are asking for trouble, playing with fire, and all I can give is thanks that you have not done anything serious with that man. I pray to the gods above in appreciation that you had more intelligence than that." 

"How dare you accuse Yugioh like that! He is not like that at all. I love him father because he understands me, unlike anyone I know. He would never use me the way that you are condemning him of. We love each other, more than you could ever know; I understand that for a fact, he has told me so numerous times! You just do not comprehend what you do not feel or see yourself. He cares for me more than anything in this world, not to mention he has proven it not only to me, but even to you indirectly!" 

Sugoroku blinked trying to recall such a time. "I have never even seen the two of you together, how could he have ever proven to me how much he loves you if I had no inkling that you were even in some time of falsified relationship with him? No, you are making all of this up in your head my daughter, confused by his tricks and lies." 

"NO! He did show you; you were just too blind to see it father. When Uncle Ay died, who came here to console me? Had any other Pharaohs ever done that when someone important passed away? Did those Pharaoh's visiting the families of the deceased members? I think we both know the answer to that. He loved me enough to risk exposing what we have in order to make sure I was all right, that I would be okay in dealing with my loss. He could not rest apparently until he knew the truth that I would be okay because he saw me at the Temple of Ptah, totally broken. So you will never convince me that he does not love me father, not when he has done so much for me, given me so much." 

"What has he given you?" Sugoroku asked, his eyes narrowing. "I swear to you daughter, they are not gifts of love, rather gifts to keep you his and happy. He does not want you to tell the world about his lustful ways. Those trinkets should be returned or thrown away; do not keep them Ruia." 

She raised her arm, showing him the star armband. "This is not a trinket, rather is pure gold and a gift especially designed for me. I know it because he gave it to me the night we stayed out underneath the stars when we had that out of season rain. We are never going to see eye to eye on this father and in the beginning, I asked you if you would please keep your thoughts to yourself until I had finished telling my tale, now if I may, can I please finish?" 

"That was before I knew what you were going to tell me…if I had known that you were having a scandalous affair with the Pharaoh of all Egypt, I would have never had made that promise, which is why I am breaking it now. I thought I had raised you to be a vivid and intelligent young woman and I see now that I have done the complete opposite. Instead, I see that I have an immature, naïve, and irresponsible daughter who thinks she knows what is best for her and refuses to accept help when she needs it the most. I could not be more disappointed in you and your decisions. I am only grateful that things have not grown to a more…personal level." 

Ruia narrowed her eyes, blood boiling within her veins, making her feel even more faint than before. 'I know Yugioh loves me, he has shown me time after time, not to mention given me the greatest gift anyone could ever give me, a child. But as much as I hate to think it, father does bring up a point…what, what if this is all a game to Yugioh once he learns that I am carrying his heir? His love for me might not be as strong as mine is for him. What if father is right…what then? What will I do then? I will truly be out of options. But that would never happen Yugioh loves me. He does." Even as she thought that, she could feel her confidence slipping. "So that is how you truly feel about me; well I am sorry to have been such a burden to you all these years father. If it was left up to me, I would have changed a lot of decisions too, but you know what, we cannot. And everything that I have experienced with Yugioh, I would amend absolutely nothing, including the night I stayed with him when you kicked me out of this very house!" 

"You…you stayed…with him?" 

"I did not go to him father," she spat, knowing what her father was alluding too "rather I was actually outside in the freezing rain for many hours before he found me. To this day, I am not sure how he managed such a feat, but at least he cared about my well-being, which is more than you can ever say since you threw me out! Thanks to Yugioh and his High Priests, I am still alive most likely. If I had stayed the night out there, I know I would have died because I was not prepared for that type of onslaught from the rain. But did you even care? Did you come looking for me? I doubt it highly because you did not care; I was finally out of your hair. If I did not know any better, I would think you were disappointed when I came home the next day. Admit it father, that is truly how you felt!" Ruia could feel the hot tears stream down her face; she had never felt so confused, mistreated, and lost. She also never felt the slap coming. Placing a hand over her reddening cheek, she stared eye wide at her father. 

"How dare you accuse me of such crimes child! You are the one who obviously knows very little about me. I promised your mother that I would take care of you and I meant it. I regretted throwing you out of our house that night more than anything I have ever done; the only reason why I did not come after you is simple – if I confronted you, I knew you would have ran more. I will forever be grateful that Yugioh found you, but that does not stop me from wishing he had not. Maybe then this silly childhood crush would have stopped." 

"It is not some little crush! We love each other father and I have the proof too!" Ruia screamed, fist pounding down on the table. "I am carrying his child!" 

In that moment, Sugoroku forgot to breath. He could not have heard what he thought he had. His little girl could not be pregnant, not with the Pharaoh's child of all things. "You are lying, Ra please tell me you are lying." He stared into his daughter's eyes, praying that he would see the humorous glint in them or a smile crack upon her face and this would all be some horrible misunderstanding. But what he saw convinced him otherwise. Her eyes were narrow, lips drawn in thinly, and her head clearly head high. She was telling the truth – and was proud of it. "Oh Ruia, no please tell me no." 

Ruia shook her head, eyes never wavering from her father. "I went to the healer yesterday, she confirmed what the cause of my weakness and morning sickness truly was. It was not just being under the weather as we thought; rather I was showing a tall tale sign of being pregnant. And there is has been only one person I have ever been with, the same night you kicked me out of this very house – Pharaoh Yugioh. The child that is growing inside of me is his and no one else's." 

"Ruia Ana Motou, do even comprehend what your actions have done, to you and to this family? Of course you do, you just do not care. All that has ever mattered in your life is what made you happy; no one else has ever matter. I have sacrificed so much for you and this is how you repay me – by being the Pharaoh's favorite little harlot. You have disgraced the Motou name Ruia, a black mark that can destroy both our lives if this secret of yours was ever to reach the communities' ears." Sugoroku paced the room, eyes never flickering from Ruia's stomach. How had he missed all the signs that Ruia was pregnant, her own mother suffered from severe morning sickness with both Ruia and Ishpi. 

"That is all you ever care about father – what other people think. You never stop to consider that maybe, just maybe society is wrong. I know I could never love anyone as much as I do Yugioh, so the standards that society has set on everyone, that is what wrong, not me for loving someone with my heart. I know that even you could understand that if you would stop and think about it, but I would bet my life on it that you do not even care because it is not accept by others. That is why you were so ashamed of me growing up, I was different, and I went against everything that we as a community were ever taught. This is why you hide my talents away, like my music, tried to hide from me that I was the Divine Mother, because you could not stand that I was even more unusual!" 

Sugoroku felt the blood rush into his face. "You ungrateful child, I have never felt ashamed of you in life till this very morning. You do not even regret sleeping with him do you? From the way you are acting, so high and mighty, I would think that you enjoyed it and would not mind continue being Yugioh's little harlot. Well fine, do what you want because you never have listened to anything I have ever said to you anyway." 

"Oh I have listened father, I could not miss all the criticism you gave me growing up. I bet you agreed with the villagers when they called me a siren because you have no problem calling me a harlot now! It was bad enough knowing that some of my so called friends called me a siren, but to know that you probably thought the same way all these years, that hurts more than anything I have ever experienced. To know that you do not trust me, love me for who I am hurts more than you could ever imagine." Ruia felt the tears fall down her face rapidly. "But you are right about one thing father, I do not feel guilty about sleeping with Yugioh because what I do, I do with no regrets." 

"Get out." 

Ruia blinked in surprise. She could not have heard what she thought she had. It made no sense, unless, it was true. "Pardon me?" 

"You heard me child. If you think you know this world and me so well then you can just get out now. You have all ready blackened your name for the rest of your life; I will not allow you to do the same to this family. You cannot hide being pregnant forever-dear Ruia and when the truth comes out, you better pray to the gods above that your life is spared. But it does not concern me anymore; I cleanse my hands of you forever. If you are so sure that you can make it on your own and that you do not need me, then go ahead and get out. From this moment on, I have no daughter. Now get out of my house - immediately." 

"You have only proven my point father, you have never cared about me, my feelings, or earning my respect. Rather you stake importance on less significant matters like what other people will think of you. Well I guess you will not have to worry about that anymore father, I am out of your life – for good. I understand now that your grandson and myself mean absolutely nothing to you, so it is best that I leave. I would not want my child to live in this environment where his or her believes would be smothered, rather I would like to raise my child somewhere he or she will be able to do what he or she believes in, unlike my childhood home. So you want me to leave, then I will; I am not losing anything by leaving. It is not like I ever had a father anyway." Turning, Ruia fought against the fresh tears that threatened to overflow. Her own father, her own flesh had abandoned her. Climbing the stairs, Ruia grabbed her bag and started throwing some of her most precious belongs in them. 'Where will I go now, dear Sekhmet, what will I do now?' Picking up the letters from Yugioh, she ran a finger gently over them. 'What if father was right, what if Yugioh was just using me? No, I refuse to believe such a thought. Father is wrong, society is wrong, and I will prove it…somehow.' 

Grabbing her bag, Ruia walked out of her room for the final time. Walking back down the stairs, she paused momentarily before her father. Glaring at him, her temper flared red-hot once more. "If you resented me so much, why did you ever make that promise to mother?" She huffed. "I just do not understand what mom ever saw in you." 

Watching his only daughter walk out of his house forever, Sugoroku could only find himself thinking one continuous thought. 'I made that promise to your mother because I loved her, but unfortunately she was not the person I loved most in this world, that person was you Ruia, my daughter, my baby girl. Now you have somehow grown up and trailed of the path I had planned for you so long ago. And now, we go our separate ways. Good-bye my daughter. May the gods and goddesses watch over you always.' 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ 

Anzu hurried up the path that lead to her best friend's house, concern etched into her normally joy filled face. Her eyes were red from tears long shed; her only task now was remaining strong for Ruia in her hour of need. 'I just do not understand why the fates are so cruel to Ruia. First they take her mother from her when she was two, then taut her with being love with someone she can never have, now they have taken away her one ally, her confidant, her only uncle. I am not sure how Ruia is going to be able to move past all these obstacles. This last one, it might truly do her in. Ra please let my friend find the strength to continue being her and not turn into a shadow of her former self again. Please, let the darkness stray away from her and let some light, some happiness into her life once again.' 

When she had learned what had transpired at the Temple of Ptah from her mother, all Anzu wanted to do was run and grieve with her friend since childhood. Her mother had advised her to wait a day to allow Ruia and her father time to overcome the initial shock and horror during this sorrowful time. 'I just hope Ruia understand why I did not come right over yesterday, that she is not hurt that I did not come and check in on her. Something is wrong, that much I can feel. There is something more going on here; I can feel it griping at my heart. I just pray that it is not the darkness coming here to claim Ruia like I fear. Hopefully, I am not too late to prevent whatever pain or tragedy I sense that is nearby. 

Knocking quickly at the door, Anzu waited patiently as she could, though she could not help but feel nervous. She could not explain the overwhelming sense of dread, tension, and pain that was radiating from her friend's house; it was literally suffocating her the longer she stood at the door. "Mr. Motou? Ruia? Is either of you around? It is just me, Anzu!" she called out, hoping that someone was home and would hear her. She could not imagine where the father and daughter would be, unless they had traveled together to one of the local temples to plan Ay's funeral or something to that sort. She was just about to leave when she heard footsteps approaching the door. 

Sugoroku stood at the door, glaring impatiently at his visitor. He really did not want to deal with his daughter's best friend so soon after kicking Ruia out, but he did not have much of a choice. "Now is really not the time Anzu, you probably should just return to your house and wait for Ruia to contact you. It is for the best believe me." He started to turn away, trying to hide the fresh tears that were creeping into the corners of his eyes and seeing Ruia's best friend, but even the world was against him there. Nothing was going his way anymore, everything was falling apart and he was helpless to stop it. 

"I understand. I just wanted to make sure you and Ruia were doing all right and make sure there was nothing either of you needed. But if you two wish to be alone and grieve together, then I will respect your wishes and return to my dwellings. Can you please just tell Ruia that I stopped by and checked in on her? I do not want her to think I abandoned her or something, especially now when I figure she could use all the support she can get." 

"I wish I could give her the message Anzu, however, Ruia does not live here anymore." 

Anzu felt the breath leave her lungs rapidly. She grasped the wall of the house in utter surprise. "What? Why? What happened? Where is Ruia now?" Her worst concerns had been confirmed. 'Oh Ra Ruia, what have you done now. What happened that you felt that you had to flee your own house to survive? Maybe this is just another one of Ruia's moments of acting before she completely thinks everything out. I am sure she will be home soon, I know it.' 

"Ruia informed me of a certain secret she has been harboring for quite some time…one I as sure you probably know and aided her in keeping." He looked into Anzu's crystal blue eyes knowingly. "I know the whole truth Anzu, about everything so there is not point in denying what you know. While I am disappointed in her actions highly and in yours for keeping such a secret as damaging as this one for me, I am willing to put all that hostility aside. I want to hear what you know or knew at least." 

Anzu involuntarily took a step back. "So Ruia finally told you about Yugioh being the other man in her life. I must admit, for a while there I thought she might just take that secret to the grave. I will not lie; at first I too thought it was a horrible idea that Ruia was placing herself in such a situation where she could be hurt so terribly. I believed that Ruia was deluding herself and that Yugioh might just be using her. But as time passed, I learned that my thoughts concerning true motives could not be any farther from the truth. Yugioh does indeed love your daughter, probably more than life itself. I have seen them together firsthand and to be honest, I have never seen a more true and genuine love, not even between my two parents. They would do anything for the other, even if it meant giving their life. That is how strong their bond is. It is like nothing I have ever seen. I understand that you must have felt betrayed that Ruia has lied to you for so long, but she felt that it was in everyone best interests. Surely that does not merit her leaving, right?" 

"So then, even you do not know the whole story yet. Strange, I was under the impression that Ruia told you everything. I guess with everything that happened yesterday, she just did not have the time or was in the right state of mind to share her good news with you." Sugoroku shook his head, trying to find the right words. "I guess I will just come out and say it Anzu, Ruia is pregnant, one month almost." 

"She…she is pregnant…with Yugioh's child?" Anzu asked incredulously. "When, how…" But even as she thought those questions, the answers came rushing to her. The night Ruia had fled from her house and stayed the night at the palace; the timing was right, it had to have been then. 'Oh Ruia how do you manage to get yourself into these situations? You know the customs of our village; unwed mothers are executed despite the joyous celebration that they are bringing life into this world.' She blinked and turned to Sugoroku. "You…you kicked Ruia out did you not?" 

"Ai child, I did. Her crimes will not black this family name. As of two hours ago, I no longer had a daughter, to me, she has never existed." 

"How could you throw your daughter into the streets like that? She is your only living relative; who cares what people will think. Their opinions should not outweigh your own daughter's life like that. Is she not the most important person in your own life? I will never forgive you for throwing her into the streets, especially the day after her uncle's death. Do you not have a heart, a sense of compassion? I can only imagine the state she is in now thanks to you and you stand there all high and mighty like her pain means nothing to you. How can you let your own flesh and blood suffer like that? Do you even feel a bit of remorse or are you glad that Ruia is gone. Tell me, for I do not truly know your real motive. If I was one to jump to conclusions, I would swear you would want Ruia to suffer like this." Anzu narrowed her eyes, she seldom lost her temper, but hearing how Sugoroku felt about his daughter made her blood boil red hot. "Just because Ruia did not share the same views that you does not give you any justifiable reason to throw your daughter out of your home. Do you have any notion what will happen to her out there? This world is not a safe place and you have practically feed Ruia to those people. How can you live with yourself knowing what you have done? You have sent your only daughter, my best friend to her death and you do not even care! I will never know how you feel no remorse, no sympathy, but at least Ruia will have Setto and I. We will never abandon her in her time of need. Maybe it is best that you are out of her life; then she will not have to deal with all the emotional abuse you have made her suffer from all these years!" 

Not even waiting for a reply, Anzu turned hastily and started back down the path in a fit of fury. With every step she took however, she found her anger receding and her anxiety increasing. 'Oh Ruia, where have you gone now? I have no idea what state of mind you are in, but I know it cannot be a good one. What do I do now?' She paused and sat at the fountain in the middle of town, forehead creased in worry. 'Yugioh, of course, he probably does not know anything that has transpired in the last few weeks. He needs to know the truth, about his child and what has happened to Ruia. I need to get to the palace and find Setto. He and Yugioh will know what to do; I just hope the two are there at the palace. If they are not, or even if they are, we do not have much time. The longer that Ruia is out there, alone, thinking that everything that is against her, the worse she will be. I just pray we find her in time, for we do not, we may never find her again.' 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ 

Yugioh sat in his room, deeply frustration and nervous. 'Ryou is the thief and murder that took the lives at the Temple of Ptah. He is the one that caused Ruia to be in so much pain, left his twin to put his and his families' lives back together, and left my country in a state of near hysterics.' Still, he could not help but feel that something else was horribly wrong, that someone else was in a grave state. His divinity abilities had been plaguing him all morning and yet nothing had present itself to him thus far. He did not know how to take that, whether it was a blessing from the gods and goddesses that indeed nothing was wrong or a warning that something was coming. 'What am I going to do now…what options do I have, choices I could make?' 

A frantic knock on his door jolted him from his thoughts. Before he could even open his mouth to speak, Setto, Bakura, and Anzu all rushed inside his room. At first, Yugioh was a little annoyed at the sudden intrusion, but a quick look at Anzu's tear streaked face, told him that there was a lot more to this visit than friendly conversation. Something had happened and whatever it was, it could not be welcoming. 

"Anzu…what happened? Did something horrible happen to Ruia?" 

Anzu nodded her head quickly, the words tumbling quickly out of her mouth "She is gone…I have no idea where she went or how she is…she is just gone!" 

Yugioh glanced at Setto, then Bakura, then rested his steady gaze on Anzu once more. "Okay Anzu, take a deep breathe and tell me everything from the beginning." He could not understand how he was beginning so calm in all this. 'Ruia, my love, where have you gone now? What happened to you that you could not even come to Anzu or me for aide?' 

"I went to her house today to check and see how she was doing today. My mother had told me that Ruia was taking her uncle's death very hard, very personally. So I went by to see if there was anything I could do for my best friend. When I arrived, Ruia's father Sugoroku greeted me at the door. He informed me that Ruia was not home…in fact, she never would be again." 

Setto's face dropped. "How can he be so confident like that? Where did Ruia go, why did she leave just like that?" 

Anzu's eyes narrowed once again. "She did not leave voluntarily I can tell you that much. Her father threw her out of her own house, nonetheless. And the worst part, he did it to save his family name and his own reputation. In his mind, he no longer has a daughter. So she left, I have no idea of her present location, but we have to find her. She is not going to be in a strong mental state at all; anyone could take advantage of her." 

"I fully heartedly agree, we must find Ruia…but why did Sugoroku dismiss her from her own adobe. Surely he had some type of a reason. I would hope he did not kick his only daughter out for no reason." Bakura said, looking out the window, then back to his friends. "It is imperative that we find her, as you said Anzu, more emotional trauma cannot be good for someone in her condition." 

"No it is not, especially someone who is in a delicate mind set as Ruia…being kicked out of her house could not have helped. That must have been a final blow to her." She paused, the looked at her Pharaoh. "Yugioh, you and Ruia…" She trailed off not sure how to tell Yugioh the truth or even if it was her place. But at the same time, the situation was desperate; he needed to know the truth. 

"Ruia and I what?" 

She took another breath. "Ruia is pregnant Yugioh, with your child. Apparently Ruia learned the truth shortly before she learned what had happened to Ay. Everything crashed down on her yesterday, the news of carrying the heir to the Egyptian Throne and her Uncle's untimely death." 

Yugioh dropped to his knees in shock. "She…she is carrying my child?" Joy filled his heart despite the current situation, though reality quickly set in. "Our traditions…" 

Anzu nodded. "Ai Pharaoh…Ruia will be put to death if the village of Memphis is to learn she is pregnant. Normally she would be spared till after her child is born, but since it is your child, that may not be the case. And I would bet my own life that Ruia knows this as well. I am scared deeply that she might do something drastic, more drastic than disappearing like this and not telling anyone." 

Yugioh raised a hand to his face rubbing it hard. 'Oh my sweet, how I wish I could be with you right now. Ra, you must be so scared, so lost. I will find you Ruia and somehow make everything better. How I am going to accomplish such a feat, I do not know, but I will find a way.' 

"What are we going to do my friend?" Setto asked, looking at Yugioh's form. "And I do not just mean about finding her. What are we, more importantly, you going to do about all this? You have a very difficult choice before you Yugioh…honor tradition or follow your heart." 

"How is it even a choice?" Anzu yelled. "He has to spare Ruia's life; he cannot kill her, not when he is the reason she is in the situation. It is his child that she is carrying within her, surely that accounts for something." She looked down at Yugioh. "Does it not?" 

Glancing up at Bakura, then facing Anzu he spoke, "I cannot show special favoritism Anzu, I must abide by the rules of our forefathers…" 

"There is one big difference Yugioh, you love her!" Anzu felt the tears stinging her eyes. "This not some harlot we are taking about here but the love of your life, unless that is a lie and you were using her all this time for your pleasure." 

"Of course I love her! How dare you question that Anzu!" 

"I question it because I see you kneeling there doing nothing to save her! Marry her for Ra 's sake, then all of this can be avoided!" 

"I cannot! We are from two different classes! A marriage bond between us is not accepted, as much as it pains me to say that!" Yugioh pounded his fist on the cold stone, not even aware of the pain it was causing. "I have to put my people first, not my own personal affairs. I cannot show special treatment to Ruia, I have to hold her to our laws and standards. There is no other way." 

"You are the Pharaoh, of course this is another way. You can change the laws Yugioh. That is not showing special treatment, that is showing mercy to all of Egypt. When you say you want to put your people first, does that not include Ruia? What about her needs, her situation? It is not like she has done any of this on purpose, she was just following her heart, nothing more nothing less. You cannot fault her for that. You cannot seriously consider ending her life; do you know how bad that will kill her in the afterlife, knowing that it was her lover that killed her? If you ever loved Ruia like you claimed, you could never do that." 

"I do not want to do that to her Anzu, but I have no real choice in the matter." He glanced at Setto and Bakura. "You two are my High Priests, what do you think about the situation?" He was truly lost at what he should do. 'Ra, I beg of you, I need your guidance now more than ever. How can I send the woman I love, the mother of my heir, to her death?' 

Setto looked at his long time friend. Taking a deep breath, he looked right into Yugioh's eyes. "He put his hand in her hand. He put his hand to her heart. Sweet is the sleep of hand-to-hand. Sweeter will be the sleep of heart-to-heart." 

Anzu looked at her boyfriend in shock and amazement. 'He answered Yugioh's question without giving him a straight answer. Now comes the question, will Yugioh understand and value his top advisor's opinion?' 

"I heard a poem once Pharaoh from a visitor to our lands. I do believe it applies quiet well to our current dilemma. It is funny; I have never been good at memorizing something I have only heard once. Is it not strange that the name of the poem is a loose translation of Ruia's name? It is as if the fates wanted me to remember it for this very day." He paused, closing his eyes to recall the words. "She may be a rose, but alas she is a wild rose. She shall grow in her beauty wherever the next day shall find her, and one cannot forger that every rose has its thrones. If one gets too close, he may be stung back at her loveliness and angry himself for not being too careful enough. And to pull her from where she stands in life would cause her to wither and die. She must be what she wants and to make her own choices in life. If she would be plucked away, then one would discover that it would not take long for her very spirit to die. And so look, but do not touch. For your own fate is determined by that one choice. Approach with caution and embrace her petals gently and she just may beckon to your soul." 

"You two could never answer a straight question…" He said, trying to lighten the mood some, but even he could not smile. He was far too worried bout Ruia and what he was going to do when he found her. "I need some air." Quickly standing, he hurried out his room and leaned against a walk, hoping for a cool breeze. 'What am I going to do. I love her for Ra's sake, I cannot kill her nor can I marry her. If only things could be different. I love her so much; this pains me to know that she is so lost within herself. I cannot wait time sitting here though knowing that, but I cannot go out there without a plan either. What do I do' 

"**My Child, the answer is very clear if you just search inside your heart. You know what you must do…what path you should choose; just trust what your heart has been trying to tell you all along.**" 

Yugioh looked up. "Who is there?" 

A bright light shimmered in the hallway, revealing the translucent regal looking man. Yugioh felt himself falling to his knees. Though he had never met the man personally, he knew exactly who he was. He had seen enough statues and pictures over the year. "My god, Ra, to what do I owe the great honor?" 

The man chuckled a bit. "**My son, do you not remember asking for my assistance? I have come, per your request. I know it seems a little strange that a god answers to the will of a mortal directly like this, but you are not exactly a normal mortal now are you?**" 

He shook his head. "No, I guess I am not." 

"**So you summoned me here to the mortal world because you are confused about to do with Ruia Motou, the love of you natural life, I am correct**?" 

"You are my god. I know it is not accepted for the Pharaoh to be in love with a commoner, but I cannot deny what my heart longs for. She is beautiful, charming, and a survivor. I consider myself blessed and lucky to have her in my life. I love her so much, but I know that we can never be together and know I learned that she is carrying my child. I…I cannot follow through with Memphis' tradition. I cannot end her life. It would kill me if I did that. But yet I must for it is my royal duty. I am so confused, I just do not know what path I should take because all my opinions lead to heart break" 

Ra shook his head. "**That is not fully true Yugioh. There is another path; one that has remained clouded to you your entire life. By all standards, I am not allowed to guide you in anyway when it comes to your divinity, but in extreme cases, one such as this, we the guardians are allowed to make such exceptions. You see Yugioh; divinity is very special, not just in your powers. There is another wonderful aspect to it, but very seldom does it ever occur. This of course is the Divine Son. All the research and teachings that you have learned is accurate to an extent, including the legend of the dark child, the one who would destroy our civilization. What you do not know is this, when you were blessed word had come from Greece, from both Clio, the muse of history, and Chronos, the god of time, that this divinity period would bring much unneeded darkness if the wrong children had been chosen. What the Grecians were trying to say was that we were going to need the Divine Son if Egypt was to survive.**" 

"Oh great, even more pressure to find the Divine Mother…" 

"**Have you not realized the truth yet Yugioh? The Divine ceremony is not just a blessing of powers, but a bonding one as well. You and the divine mother share a link deeper than anything you could possibly imagine, life, blood, and even class...**' 

Yugioh raised his head and blinked. 'Class…no could it be…no I would have known, or have I all long and realized it…surely I would have felt something. But I did, did I not? I fell in love with her despite all the odds. That is why every time I held her in my arms, every time I placed sweet kisses on her lips, and when we spent that one glorious night together, it all felt so right. It felt that way because that is the way the fates planned it all along. She is the one I was destined for, no wonder I never wanted to search for my 'truest love' once I had Ruia in my life. I had all ready found her and never realized it.' 

Ra watched as the truth sunk into Yugioh's mind, heart, and soul. "**Yes…you understand now. She is the one Yugioh, the one you have searched for all these years, but your heart all ready knew that, now you mind and soul do as well. You know what you must do my child…you must find and save the one you loved for she is the key to our salvation – to your salvation. Go, find Ruia, and find the Divine Mother and Divine Son.**" 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ 

'I wonder what it is like to fly…' Ruia thought gazing upward into the tree, looking at the birds that sat perched above her on other branches. 'To be free of worry, free of pain, never knowing, never fearing the unknown, just flapping your wings to lands unknown.' She swung her legs a bit; hoping that sitting in the tree would take her mind off her current situation. The water below her rushed swiftly by, ever changing, never standing still for a moment. The waters seemed to be rougher than normal, but Ruia paid little attention to such a detail, details after all were meaningless, just like a lot of things anymore. 'Even the water is like my life, always moving, never following anyone's wishes or demands, creating its own path through the lands, and always causing trouble, just like me.' She sighed as another tear fell. 'Ra what do I do now? I have lost everything, including my child. Once the town learns that I am pregnant, I will be killed, which means I will never see my child again. He or she will never know how much I love him or her, if its is allowed to live as well.' She nearly fell back into the rough water as another; more intense wave of fear, dread, nauseas, and sobs racked through her all ready weakened body. She barely caught onto the limb she was sitting on, steadying her in the process. 

'Maybe I should have just let go; it is not like anyone would have missed me. I probably would be doing the world and this country a favor if I just disappeared or died. I have all ready failed in my duty to protect Egypt as the Divine Mother, shamed my whole family, especially my father by sleeping with a member of the Royal Family, and deluded myself into ever believing that Yugioh actually cared and loved me. Ra Ruia, what were you thinking? You know your father was right; you were just a fling, a harlot. Why would anyone like Yugioh love some nobody like me? NO, I cannot start thinking like father. Yugioh loves me, deeply and unconditionally. I know he does, my heart would not lie to me like this, would it? Not even destiny can control what my heart wants. It is the one emotion that no one can persuade or control. My heart knows the truth, Yugioh does love me and I love him. And that is where everything has gone to the afterlife. So much has gone wrong since I told Yugioh that one little phrase. But even as I sit here, I know that saying I love you was the right thing but yet nothing good except my child, has come from it. I am so confused. Nothing makes much sense anymore…expect the water. It does not care what people think or anything, it alone decides whether to help humanity or destroy it – much like myself. I have tried so hard to help my family all that I possibly could, instead I ended up hurting them far more than I ever expected. I murdered my uncle, sure I did not light the flame, but I did nothing to stop it and I could have if only I was there at the temple. I disappointed my father to the point where he no longer claims me as his child. To him I never existed and maybe it is best that I never existed in anyone's lives. Uncle Ay would still be alive, father's reputation would be safe, this child growing inside of me would have a life to look forward too, and Yugioh, well he would just be better off never knowing me at all. Egypt would be a lot safer as well. We would not have murderous thieves coming here looking for the Divine Mother because she, I would no longer exist. As for myself…I just do not know where I stand anymore. There is nothing left me, expect pain and suffering…and the water.' 

She glanced back down at the raging river once more. 'Always tumbling and churning, just like my emotions, never having full control, only letting what the fates allow you to do.' She blinked, and then pulled out her papyrus. _A cold, icy feeling grips at my soul, twisting, turning my thoughts and words against me. Leaving me shaken, scared and doubtful. People past by like nothing is wrong, fueling the darkness with their hate and ignorance. Days, weeks, months go by leaving the cold deep inside my heart. Fighting the icy breath with the fire that I hold keeps the darkness at bay. Months turn to years and fire slowly dies giving into the night that is my depression._

Shaking, Ruia dropped her quill into the water in utter shock. Never had she written something so dark, so pain filled before. 'Dear Ra, what is happening to me? Why does it feel like I have nothing let in this world let to fight for, that everything I once believed in was nothing more than a lie that reality has so cruelly shown me? Why does it feel like that I am just someone's toy, used for their own personal amusement why they sit there and laugh at my misfortunes? Why do I have the urge to forget all of it happened and to make the world forget as well? It is not as if the world ever cared for me. Why is the darkness the only comforting element right now? How is it that the very thing I was taught to protect and fight against is my only ally, my only friend at this very moment? Were all the teachings wrong; is the darkness just something we do not truly understand at all? Oh Maat, I need your wisdom more than ever. You are the goddess of justice; surly you would know the darkness' true intentions.' 

Off in the distance, just over Ra's temple, Ruia watched as the sun slowly began to set, casting the last of its golden rays across the land. 'Is the time really now? Has the darkness come to show me that it is my only friend or has it come to take even more innocent lives like the teachings foretell. I just do not understand. How can something be so evil when all it seems to be doing to me is showing me the truth, that I am nothing more than what everyone has always told me – a troublemaker, a hassle, and now even a harlot. Memphis will be a lot better off without me, I will not be around to endanger it or threaten people's reputations. I only have two options now, the darkness and the water.' 

Closing her eyes tightly, Ruia allowed the cool breeze for the twilight air to wisp across her face openly. There was something comforting about a cool breeze at night; it relaxed her, made her feel most alive. 'Then maybe I know my path; I just never wanted to accept it. I feel most alive at night, where trouble surely lurks.' She inched a bit forward on the branch. 'I am darkness…and I cannot let the darkness win in anyway.' She took a deep breath and leaned forward summoning the courage to let go of the branch. "A child of the darkness no more…" 

"RUIA! NO!" 

Ruia was so startled she felt her hand slip off the branch. Gasping, eyes flying open, Ruia scrambled to grab hold of something, anything before she hit the ragging waters head on. Dimly she realized that there was nothing she could do; only accept her fate as she felt the icy waters consume her tiny frame. Thrashing about under the watery grave, Ruia fought against the impulse to take a deep breath. 'No, I refuse to die, not this way, I changed my mind, I am going to fight.' Her cloak tangled around her, preventing her from making it to the surface. Her struggles became less and less frantic and a calm, peaceful haze began to settle in. 'Just a little nap…' Closing her eyes slowly, she did not even feel herself being pulled to the surface until she felt herself coughing up water and breathing in the fresh air deeply. 

"Ruia! Talk to me here, let me know you are okay!" a voice shouted into her ear as they moved onto the shore. The arms around her body never moved from her waist or shoulders, rather held her close and steadfast against him. 

"You should have just let me drown…everyone would have been better off, yourself included." She brought her knees up to her chin and wept silently into her arms. In one moment, she wanted to do one thing and let the darkness win and in the very next moment wanted to do the complete opposite. 'I cannot escape my destiny no matter how hard I try; this world, it wants me to suffer to no end and I better just accept that. I understand that now, I have no control of my life, I never did and I never will.' 

Yugioh wrapped his arms around Ruia's shaking form. "Ruia, love, what were you thinking? You could have killed yourself up there like that." Reaching a hand around her neck, he undid the clasp and removed the cloak from her body before pulling her close once again. "You had me so scared Ruia, I thought I was going to lose you forever.' He buried his face into her wet hair and kissed it softly. "What were you thinking?" 

"Do not touch me!" Ruia shoved her way out of the embrace, fresh tears falling. "You never cared about me, so do not act like you do now! I know the truth Yugioh, I was never anything more to you that a harlot, just someone to use and then forget about, was I not?" She shook uncontrollably, not caring about anything or anyone anymore. "I guess I should be used to it; nothing has ever been in my favor before, why should I have thought this time would be any different? I cannot believe I actually convinced myself that you cared about me, that I actually mattered in this world." 

"What? Ruia please calm down and listen to me. I love you, totally and unconditionally. I am not sure what your father told you about our relationship, but I assure, whatever he said is wrong. You are the most important person in my life; if something was to happen I would just die, I know that. You complete me Ruia Ana and nothing in this Ra-forsaken world is ever going to change that. But you cannot just give up on everything. That is not who I fell in love with. The Ruia I knew never gave up; she never settled for what people expected of her, rather fought for what she believed in. Now I ask you, where is that Ruia now?" 

"She is gone and never coming back. She saw what this world was truly like, what she truly was and decided to give it all up before she managed to hurt her family and society more. There is nothing left for me here Yugioh. Egypt will be far better off once I am gone. I do not expect you to understand, just please trust me. Everyone will be better off once I am gone from his or her lives forever. It is best if you just forget I ever existed." 

"Oh Ra, Ruia. I could never do that do you not understand that? I could never forget the one who opened such emotion in my heart. I do not know what has happened to you but I want too. Tell me what is wrong Ruia; please I want to help you. You are scaring me so much right now, talking and acting the way you are. If I had not come when I did, I am terrified to think what would have happened to you." He brushed a piece of her hair out of her eyes. "Please Ruia, I am begging you, let me help you." 

"How can you expect to help me, when I cannot even help myself? I am not sure what is wrong Yugioh, everything is…has fallen apart. I do not know what I can do anything to put the pieces back together again. Everything is just so…jumbled." Ruia buried her face back into her hands and sobbed. "You claim to love me, but father says it is a lie. My heart tells me that you are the one I am destined to be with, but the fates have done everything humanly and inhumanly possible to keep us apart. My Uncle and the other Priests at the Temple of Ptah, their lives could have been sparred if only I had been there or had been thinking. You do not need someone like me in your life. I assure you, your life would be so much better off. You just need to forget about me and the darkness that I bring into everyone's lives." 

"Ruia look at me." 

Slowly, she raised her tear-streaked eyes at him. "There is nothing you can say that will ever make me feel better Yugioh." 

"But there is…Ruia I know." 

"You…you know." Her eyes traveled down to his waist, seeing the butt of sword. "Father was right, I am nothing more than a harlot to you! You are going to kill both me and our unborn child!" She quickly backed away from his, heading back towards the water. "I do mean absolutely nothing to you! Everything you ever told me was nothing more than a lie! Well I will not all you to hurt an innocent child. He or she deserves to live, despite the circumstances and traditions. You will not harm this baby, not yet. Do you hear me Pharaoh!" 

"What? Ruia stop! Yes I know about our child, but I never had any intention of killing you or our child. I told you Ruia I love you. Nothing in this civilization will ever change that." He slowly moved forward and cupped her chin with his hand. "Listen to me, please, really listen. Yes, I know that you are pregnant with our child and I for one could not be happier. If I were to ever have an heir to the throne, I would want that child's mother to be you and no one else. You do not have to fear the traditions of Memphis Ruia; I will not let anyone harm you…ever. I will protect you with my very life for it is my duty to protect my country and my soul mate. That person is you my sweet. You are the only person I want to be with, the only person I know I could ever be with. We are destined to be with one another Ruia; I know it." 

'If only that was true.' Ruia thought bitterly. 'I am apparently destined for the Divine Father and no one else. Yugioh is not my true love, as much as it pains me to say that.' "Do not say that Yugioh, for I know it is not true at all." 

Yugioh smirked. "Is that so Ruia…" he lowered his voice to a soft whisper. "Or should I say, Divine Mother?' 

Ruia inhaled sharply. 'How, how did he…there is no way…unless…no…surely…could it be…my greatest wish?' 

"Yes Ruia…I am the one you have been searching for all time and you are the one I have been searching for all my life. I am the Divine Father, your soul mate. We have beaten the odds Ruia and found one another. I know that I cannot take all your pain away, but I want to be there for you. Please tell me you understand that." 

"I…I…do, but you do not understand Yugioh, all I bring is darkness into people's lives. I am not worth knowing or being apart of yours." 

Yugioh smiled softly. "That is where you are wrong Ruia." Wrapping his arms around her, he begun to sing. "If I never knew you, if I never felt this love I would have no inkling of how precious life can be. And if I never held you I would never have a clue how at last I'd find in you the missing part of me. In this world so full of fear full of rage and lies I can see the truth so clear in your eyes so dry your eyes. And I'm so grateful to you I'd have lived my whole life through lost forever if I never knew you."   
"If I never knew you I'd be safe but half as real never knowing I could feel a love so strong and true. I'm so grateful to you I'd have lived my whole life through lost forever if I never knew you." Ruia added softly. 

"I thought our love would be so beautiful." Yugioh kissed the top of her head looking up into the nighttime sky with her. 

"Somehow we made the whole world bright." 

Yugioh looked down into Ruia's eyes as if they instantly knew what the other was going to say. "I never knew that fear and hate could be so strong. All they'd leave us where these whispers in the night but still my heart is singing we were right." 

I never knew that fear and hate could be so strong all they'd leave us where these whispers in the night but still my heart is singing. We were right." Ruia continued, leaning closer to Yugioh. 

"There's no moment I regret since the moment that we met. If our time has gone too fast   
I've lived at last..." 

"I thought our love would be so beautiful somehow we'd make the whole world bright." Ruia sung with Yugioh, finally beginning to understand what he was trying to say all along. 

"I thought our love would be so beautiful. We'd turn the darkness into light" 

"And still my heart is singing, we were right" 

"We were right and if I never knew you I'd have lived my whole life through." Yugioh whispered. 

"Empty as the sky." Ruia smirked back. 

"Never knowing why, lost forever, if I never knew you" 

The two looked deeply into each other's eyes before slowly closing them and begin a desperate but passionate kiss. Yugioh held Ruia's face still as he deepened the kiss before slowly pulling back. "Ruia…I know that I cannot take away all the pain, suffering, and darkness that the fates have thrown at you lately, Ra I am not sure if I can do much of anything, but I want to try…I need to try." 

"I do not understand. Yugioh what are you trying to say?" 

"Divinity, no divinity, royalty or not, you are my soul mate. I do not care about tradition or divinity, even if you were the Divine Mother, I would be asking the very same thing I am going to right now." He took a deep breath. "Ruia Ana, I want you to be my wife, my Queen." 

Ruia looked a Yugioh in utter shock. Her wildest dreams could not have just come true. 'Could the fates be this kind? A light has finally broken through the darkness that has surrounded my life and he is sitting right in front of me.' Ruia smiled and launched herself in Yugioh's awaiting arms. "Yes you palace brat, yes." 

Yugioh held Ruia as tight as he could, kissing her on her cheek, then lips. "I love you so much…you do not know how happy you have made me." 

Ruia wrapped her arms around his neck. "If it is as happy as I am…" she trailed off. "Yugioh, what are we going to do about Jarha?" 

"Shh, we will worry about him and his sister in the morning. Right now, all I want to do is to hold you and make sure the darkness can never claim you again." 

"I still feel the darkness so close to me…but I know with time and your help I might be able to beat it back. I just thought I had lost everything when father kicked me out of our house, but now I see, I gained everything I ever desired." Tears of joy trickled down her face. 

"We will get through this Ruia, together I promise. You do not have to fight your battles alone anymore. I will never let you do that again. I see now how much our separation hurt you, just as much as it hurt me., but no more. Soon all of Egypt will know how much we love one another and if they cannot accept that, well then they all can learn to live with it because I am not letting go of something this pure, this true." 

Noticing Ruia was at a loss for words, he softly kissed her again. "Lets go home…to our home." 

Ruia smiled. "I like the sound of that." 

"Good, Setto, Honda, and Bakura are just up the ridge, they came out looking for you as well. They will be relieved to know you are okay and are coming home…to stay." 

"There is no place I would rather be…" And as Ruia spoke the words, she knew that to be the truth. She finally knew her path and there was nothing that could stop her from traveling down that road now. 

Yugioh stood and wrapped his arms around her waist, part in never waiting to let her go, the other in trying to keep her warm. 'I promise you Ruia, from here on out…you are safe.' 

_Beneath the shelter of the trees_   
_Only love can enter here_   
_A simple life, they live in peace_

_Raise your head up_   
_Lift high the load_   
_Take strength from those that need you_   
_Build high the walls_   
_Build strong the beams_   
_A new life is waiting_   
_But danger's no stranger here_

  
  


**Q and A******

**Blackhawk - sorry this too so long but yes you can use Ruia/Raya in your story.******

**To everyone else - I thank you for your patience with me in getting this chapter out. Between school and work, this story has really had to take a back seat, but I promise I will continue this story no matter what.**   
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	13. Age Fifteen: The First Month, part two

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Disclaimer:** I barely own my soul let alone Yugioh. :) 

**Anya:** Well....yeah. Guess it has been some time hasn't it? Well instead of posting a very long explaination here, I ahave it posted on my profile page. Do not worry the lack of updates is not from a lack of interest, more like life simply got in the way. Though as a make up, I am posting two chapters. Not only do they complement each other, but it is always one the chapters people have been waiting for. starts humming you'll be in my heart

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Yugioh felt the warmth of the morning sun beat down on his face, slowly waking him from any form of sleep that he managed to get. Rolling over to escape the rays for just a bit longer, he brushed up against another slumbering form. Opening his eyes in utter surprise, it took Yugioh a moment to recall the events of last night. Smiling softly, he wrapped his arm around Ruia's waist and gently pulled her close, resting his chin atop his fiancée's head. She still felt so cold in his arms, despite being under several thick blankets. He slowly traced her jaw line with the tip of his finger as his thoughts wandered back to the events of last night. 'She looks so peaceful right now, but I know that could not be farther from the truth. Ruia is in so much pain and there might be nothing I can do from preventing her from slipping into the darkness again. I cannot bring back her uncle, force her father to take back all the words he said to her, but I can love her and be with her always and that alone might make the difference.' 

He felt Ruia shift suddenly in his arms, her violet orbs opening. At first she looked a bit panicked, not totally remembering where she was and understanding whom was holding her so close. Her eyes darted around the room in fear and apprehension, breathing coming out in short, quick pants. She quickly recovered once her eyes settled on his face, a small smile crossing her features. Yugioh took her hand and rubbed it gently, just to quell any other fears that she might have had. "Are you okay Ruia?" 

"Ai…" she softly whispered. "Somewhere during the night, I guess my mind must have decided that yesterday was nothing more than a dream, a horrible nightmare that happened to end wonderfully with a savior coming to save the confused and lost girl. You know, events that only happen in stories and fantasies. So when I realized that someone was holding me, I was afraid. I did not know where I was or what had happened. I did not want to believe that last night was real and have it all be denied from me, but now I see that I could not have been farther from the truth." She snuggled closer to him, feeling safer than she had ever felt in her life. 

"You are safe Ruia, I promise this to you by the gods and goddesses above, I will never let any harm come to you. I would gladly die first than to see you in any type of pain and suffering. Last night, I thought I was going to die seeing you in such a state." He smirked. "It also crossed my mind about raising Egypt's army and attacking the parties responsible for hurting you so much." 

Ruia briefly smiled before it quickly disappeared from her face. "And it turned out to be the one person who is supposed to protect me as well, my own father." She paused before continuing. "I am sorry about last night. I was just so lost, so confused, and I could feel the darkness trying desperately to claim my soul. I did not want to be a child of the darkness anymore. I did not want to be a pawn in the fate's game either." A single tear rolled down her face. "I did not want anything anymore. Everything that I wanted was gone; it seemed as if I had nothing left. I see now where I thought I was repelling the darkness, I was only embracing it." 

Kissing her gently on her forehead, Yugioh stared deeply into her eyes. "You have never been a child of the darkness Ruia. The darkness knows no limits, no emotion. You my sweet know what it is like to feel pain, love, hope, and trust. You have dreams and strive to achieve them by moral ways. If you were truly a child of the darkness, you were having none of these characteristics and use any of them. Last night, you were just confused; you're whole world seemed to crash down on your shoulders. There are not too many people in this world that I know of that would have not reacted as you did. I am just forever grateful that nothing happened to you, I do not know what I would have done if I lost you. I do not even want to imagine existing in this world unless you are there beside me always." 

Ruia snuggled up closer to him, appreciating the warmth that seemed to radiate from Yugioh' body. She could sense the truth in his words and his actions. 'I cannot believe I even doubt his love for a second. The darkness though, it is a more formidable opponent than I was ever led to believe. Could that have triggered the horrible events at Ptah? Is that why my uncle and the other temple priest perished, because they too believed in the teachings and underestimated the darkness? And if that is true, then maybe father and Yugioh are right, if I was at the temple that day, I too would have died. I underestimated the power and the influence the darkness can have over someone and I know now that that would have been my undoing that day. I would have fallen and not have gotten back up. Rather, I slipped and almost gave into my innermost fears. I willingly gave into the one thing I was trained to repel and now the only question remains, will I slip again? If the darkness is as strong as I felt it to be, is there anything in this world strong enough to fight back and defeat it? Can the light be stronger when all I see around me is depression and oppression?' "Is the light really strong enough?" 

"The light is only as strong as we make it to be Ruia. The darkness cannot and will not ever understand the strength of the human heart and will. As long as that flame of courage, determination, passion, and strength survives, the light can endure anything. And there is one thing in this world that posses all those traits and so much more." He looked down at his lover. "Do you know what that is commoner?" 

A faint smile crossed Ruia's lips. "If there is one thing in this world that I am sure of it is that. And I will admit, at one time, I doubted its power more than anything, but now I see how foolish and naïve I really was. There was only one thing that could have called me back last time, one trait that you showed me. Love." 

"Exactly, rekhet." Yugioh spoke with a smirk, gently kissing her atop her forehead. "And as long as you remember that no matter what happens, what you do or do not do, or what ever the gods and goddesses throw at us, that I will always love you, the darkness can never over take you." 

"Rekhet? Me? A wise woman?" She chuckled, then rolled over and snuggled up close to him. "And you got to be Pharaoh how again?" 

"Through a very unfortunately aspect of life, one that has visited you quite recently. But now that I know that you are going to be at my side forever, I think the aspect as you call it of being Pharaoh just got a lot more appealing." He pulled the blankets up around them closer, snuggling close. "Though that whole ruling and having meetings still leaves a lot to be desired. I would rather lay here all day with you than deal with hostile countries, but it is my birthright and I must follow through with the decisions of the gods." 

"Ai, I know that you must, but before you go, there is another problem, one of great importance that we must decide on Yugioh. I know you know what question looms in my mind and are trying to avoid, but the fact remains, it is only a matter of time before Jarha learns that I am to be your wife. We have to be the ones to break the news to him. I may not trust him fully, I never have, but it is still the honorable road to take in this manner. I know it is too much to hope that he will understand, but we have to try regardless." Ruia looked him dead in the eyes. "You do not trust him or his sister either do you?" 

"Not fully, no. I cannot explain what I feel, it is just telling me to be aware of those two siblings that they are not to have my complete trust. Maybe, since you too have the feeling that it is our divinity trying to warn of some form of danger." He placed a hand over her stomach. "Life threatening danger." 

"Do you really believe that Jarha and Satire are pawns of the darkness? Surely the late Pharaoh Khu would not have picked him knowing that one of his son's followers could be a willing tool of the darkness. Unless, you mean…our actions could merit the darkness taking them over?" 

"No Ruia, you have over looked one possibility, the one I feel most applies to them. They may indeed be willing pawns, however they have chosen to wait for the right moment to strike. When they learn what they have been after for so long is no longer accessible to them that might just be the final straw, the catalyst to strike us down. Jarha, nor does any of my High Priest know that I am divinity, only that I posses some form of magic, but I fear that once they see us together, Jarha and Satire might just see how strong the light is between us." 

Ruia paused, thinking. 'It seems like a stretch to believe that siblings are pawns in the darkness' game, and yet, it feels so right, deep in my heart. The truth lies there I know it. I do not want to believe that Jarha could be evil or even become evil once he learns that I am to be wed to Yugioh. He was so angry when I did not accept the proposal, threatened that he would have me. So much time has passed though, could those threats just been empty promises of a man with a broken heart? It seems so unlikely, not with both Yugioh's and my own divinity warning us of the siblings. Yugioh is right, when Jarha and Satire learn of the truth, that we are to be wed, that will be the final straw in all of this crazy mess. Something drastic will happen and no one's lives will ever be the same again.' 

Yugioh stared down at Ruia worriedly. Her facial expression was difficult to read or maybe that was just from what he feared. She was having a hard time believing that Jarha and his sister could be a threat to their own and their unborn child's safety. "Ruia, I know it is hard to believe but…" 

"It is not hard to believe at all. Jarha swore that I would be his and while time has passed, I feel that we should not just overlook them as a serious problem to our child's well being, as well as our own. No, what I am so confused about is all this time I was under the impression that I was falling under the influence of the darkness, but I am nothing like Jarha or like Satire from what you have told me, but at the same time, we all were being controlled by the darkness. I only realized now that the darkness comes in many forms, many ways to try to lure lost souls to their doom…I am worried that it could consume our baby." 

"I will never let any harm come to our child or you, you have my promise." He kissed her softly, smiling. "This is not the time to be dwelling on what ifs and maybes. Yes, the road before us is going difficult and trying, especially with the siblings, but we should not let that upset us to the point where we are not happy either. We have finally made it Ruia, to our dreams, our hope, our one truest desire and that is to be with each other." He nestled his face into her neck and shoulders. "We should be enjoying this moment of peace because it is never going to last, not when the news breaks that we are to be wed. I will never get to see you most likely." 

Ruia chuckled, one of the first genuine sounding laughs Yugioh had heard in a while. "You mean you aren't used to not seeing me days on end? What did you have, Honda or Jou tail me at every moment of my life documenting what I did because if you did, I want out of this engagement now because that is just strange." She smirked, knowing that he had done no such thing to her, but it was still amusing to watch the blush creep across his checks as if he had. 

"I am just glad to hear you laugh again. After last night, I was afraid that I would never hear it again." He rubbed her back gentle. "And no, I did not have anyone watching you, though now I wish I did, maybe then you could have been spared so much pain and suffering by the hands of your father." 

"My father, though misguided in many of his actions was not always a bad man Yugioh. Yes, I hate him for what he has forced me to choose and do, but at the same time, he has given me so much that I cannot simply ignore all that. He gave me life, an education, and even though I hate to admit it, he helped shape me for who I am. If it was not for all our disagreements, I never would have gotten my stubborn streak, formed my beliefs and values, but most importantly, I never would have met you." 

"You are so forgiving, maybe that is why I love you so much. You hate what your father made you do, but yet, still love him deep down for all the wonderful gifts he gave you. Maybe, with time, you two will come to an understanding, once he sees how happy we are together, how right it is." 

"No, I will never forgive my father for what he did to me Yugioh. I may not be able to fully hate him, but I cannot simply forget his words to me or the actions he choose, including abandoning me for the sake of a family name. Customs aside, I cannot forgive that he was willing to lose me to the darkness, to death over our family name. I have no problems in saying this…I do not ever want to speak or see that man again." 

He kissed her softly. "As you wish my love." Inwardly, Yugioh knew Ruia was just letting her anger out. Not matter what she said, deep down he knew that she still loved her father greatly and would miss him terribly. It would take her a great deal of time to get over the hurt that he caused her, but given enough time, he was sure Ruia would have to speak with her father again. "Maybe we should stop dwelling on the past and start looking to the future, our future. We still have a wedding to plan you know." 

Ruia looked at him with a small gleam in her eye. "I have a better idea. Let us skip the wedding and go straight to the private party afterwards" Despite the overwhelming sense of betrayal deep inside her heart, she could not let it consume her again. 'As long as I am with Yugioh, I know the darkness cannot claim me. He is the one person that truly believed in me, more than Anzu and Uncle Ay. He understood that no matter what, our love was stronger than anything.' 

"I think I can arrange that…" He shifted his weight enough to pin her down. Kissing her softly, he nuzzled her neck affectionately. 

"Pharaoh, get up all ready, I have been at your door for the last few minutes…" Setto spoke, coming around the corner. "Opps." Fighting back a chuckle, Setto could only blush deeply. 

Yugioh groaned. "Ra Setto, your timing is impeccable as always." Rolling off Ruia and snuggling close, he spoke again. "This better be some natural disaster of some sort or else you will be the next human sacrifice to the gods and goddesses." 

Ruia said nothing for she could not stop blushing. ' So very busted, at least it was not Jarha or Satire. I would not put it past either one to just walk into Yugioh's room unannounced.' 

"Does, Jarha realized you were late for a meeting and went to get you but thankfully your good, noble and idiotic friends, also known as Bakura and myself, headed him off saying we would get you since the meeting is to plan the up coming festival and security should be top priority? I think that would classify as a natural threat if Jarha were to see you two in bed together, unmarried. Or need I continued?" 

Ruia looked at Yugioh. "Is he always this cold hearted and an insensitive when he is right? Or is this only a one-time thing? Because if it is not, you are going to have to find yourself another High Priest Yugioh for I will kill him, mark my words." 

Chuckling, Yugioh climbed out of bed. "Can I trust you to stay out of trouble and stay in my room while I attend these meetings? I will come back when I am done so we can break the news to the others." He paused. "Better yet, I will send Athena in, she can help you prepare for royal life." 

"Why do I not like the sound of that?" Ruia asked, looking at the two hesitantly. 

Setto smiled evilly. "It doesn't hurt too much, I assure you Ruia." 

'If anything, that makes me fear it more….' 

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Ruia fingered the soft material that Athena had brought for her to sample. Never had she seen such exquisite material or rich colors before. "This is so not for me Athena. I would ruin the gowns so quickly, or something to that affect. I just know it. Is there not an easier way to look royal without wearing such elaborate clothes?" 

Athena laughed softly. "You are so much like Yugioh it is scary. I assure you Ruia, in time you will learn how to act, behave, and present yourself as royalty without losing what makes you, you. Besides, most of the time you will not wear anything this fancy unless you are either attending an important function, but Setto wants you to wear such formal attire when you are announced to the Kingdom as the bride to be to the Pharaoh. It is a clever ploy, he is planning, and it will reinforce how seriously in love you and Yugioh are." She held a purple, then a red swatch of cloth under her chin. "Both colors suit you, which is good. Purple, gold, and blue are Yugioh's family colors and red is the family's color in Rome. You might have to accompany Yugioh to Rome in a few months when they have their annual games; you could wear a red gown to those. That is, if Bakura clears you for travel." 

"Rome? As in the great Empire to the North of us?" Ruia watched Athena nod. "But I would not know how to act, I would just make a fool of Yugioh and the Egyptian Empire. Ra, I was dreading telling Jarha the truth about my relationship at day's end, now you tell me about this. There are moments where I think I really have gotten in over my head, not that I really regret any of this though. It is just…scary." 

"That is only natural, honestly. And to be completely straight, I never thought you did regret any of this for a moment. I know you are overwhelmed by all this Ruia, all the changes and new experiences, but Yugioh is more than eager to help you and just not in this lifestyle either." Athena's eyes twinkles mischievously 

"What do you mean Athena? I do not understand. What do you mean Yugioh has more to teach me than just this royal lifestyle." She stopped fingering the soft material between her fingers and gave her full attention to her personal servant, though Ruia would never call her anything but friend. 

"I mean in the ways of divinity as well. You are going to need to be at the peak of your magic if you are to defend not only Egypt, but your child and husband as well." 

Ruia's mouth dropped open. "How…how did you know? I was under the impression no one knew of our heritage. Does Yugioh know that you too are carrying this burden of knowledge? Did he tell you? Oh Ra, please tell me you did not hear this outside of the palace walls!" 

Athena blinked at the whirlwind of questions. Smiling, she tucked a strand of her lavender hair behind her ear. "Many moons have passed since I learned the truth of yours and Yugioh's birthright. One night my mother, Shua, and I were watching the young prince sleep, a mere week after his birth. It was my mother's duty as well as my own to care for the young child while his father recovered from the loss of his wife. During this particular night, we saw the child glow unexpectedly. A short time before, my mother had discovered a card tucked into the blanket of Yugioh's bassinet. The card signified that the gods had blessed him, Ra himself. Seeing him glow that night confirmed in my mind, the stories my mother had told me in my youth - Yugioh was indeed divinity." 

"But a lot of people can glow it is a matter of sorcerer or trickery. How were you so sure that Yugioh was truly divine?" Ruia asked picking up another piece of cloth, not knowing if she could handle everything there was to being royalty. It seemed…difficult at best. 

Athena smiled. "Yugioh was only a week old Ruia. There was no way he would have been able to make himself glow just using his knowledge of magic - he would not have any yet. He was guided by Ra to glow to allow mother and I to know of his destiny. That way, as his servants we would be able to protect him at all costs." She picked up the red, blue, and purple swatches. "I will send these out to the tailor immediately with a rush order on the purple gown to be done as soon as possible, not to mention a blue one for your engagement party and a pink one for the wedding." 

Ruia blushed at the mention of her wedding. "Athena, wait. You have explained how you knew about Yugioh's divinity, but not my own. How did you know that I too was divinity? I mean I was just a commoner who had a little more influence those others because of my father's job. If anything, it seems more likely that the Divine Mother should have been royalty, someone in the position to make changes." 

"And are you not in that position now?" Athena chuckled. "I met you when you were just five years old, a young girl who should not have been able to wield such influence as you did. Even then, I knew you were someone special. Do you not see what you have done to yourself Ruia? You have built up such a case of self -doubt against yourself that you do not see that you are perfectly capable to handle all of this. You instead, have convinced yourself that this is too much responsibility to handle. But let me assure you Ruia, I have seen and met many royals in my day and never have I seen anyone that has your ability to negotiate, to stand up against overwhelming odds, and your confidence. Now all you need to do is to have the same confidence in yourself as you do your actions." 

"You truly believe I can do this, do you not? I wish I could feel the same as you do. Maybe I am just worried about living up to everyone's expectations. Yugioh is putting a lot of faith in me by asking me to be his wife, I do not want to ruin that trust. I do not want to disappoint him or Setto or Bakura or even the people of Egypt. They deserve someone who can rule without fear and hesitation. I am not sure I can be that person. I am not sure I have what it takes to be that person." 

"Ruia, do you not understand yet? You do not have to be any body but YOURSELF. Yugioh loves you for you, not the person you think you have to be to rule this country. The person that Egypt needs as Queen is the Divine Mother and that person is you. And there is no reason to change yourself when you were chosen to be the Divine on what you are ready are. You want this country to accept and trust you? Then promise me, be yourself. They will see what myself, Setto, Bakura, and most certainly Yugioh, have always seen in you." She gave Ruia's shoulder a soft squeeze then moved over to a small box and removed its contents. Walking carefully back over, she placed a small crown atop Ruia's head. "Look into the water there, tell me what you see." 

Ruia peered into the water, watching her face stare back up at her. "I see…myself." Her voice sounded a little surprised. "I…I understand. The crown does not make the person; rather, I make the crown. It is my destiny, my job, my responsibility and no one can change that, not even myself. That is what you meant all along. I have to be willing to change, but not who am I. If I were to do that, no one would trust me as you say. Instead of being royalty, I would be the pretender to the throne, the one thing I was trying to avoid." 

"Exactly, you understand now. And if I may speak freely, caught on a lot faster than Yugioh did." She winked with smirk. "You are a fine match for him Ruia, you two complete one another on levels that many married couples only dream of reaching. You understand each other with just the smallest glance and can know what the others are thinking and feeling great distances apart. Ruling together will be a learning process for both of you, but together I am the utmost confident that you can overcome any adversity." 

"Even Jarha and his sister?" Ruia asked, facing her friend again. She watched as Athena pursed her lips into a straight line, deep in concentration before she answered. 

"The siblings…will be a challenge, but I fear…" she paused momentarily. "I fear that they may not be your biggest threat." 

"The siblings may not be our biggest threat? If that is true, then who or even what is?" Ruia stopped suddenly. "You mean Jarha and his sister are not our biggest problem, rather what they may represent, the darkness. The darkness is Yugioh's and mine greatest problem, as it does not care who it attacks, what it attacks, as long as it can feed off people's self doubt and loneliness, as we saw in myself." 

"Exactly my friend. While Jarha and Satire will react horribly to the news, their actions afterwards will still be more predictable than that of the darkness, for the darkness is truly the most vile and sneakiest enemy Egypt and even the world has ever seen. It can turn friends against one another, even lovers." 

"Nothing can come between Yugioh and I, the darkness tried and…nearly won. " 

"The darkness knows no boundaries Ruia, it will use every means possible to conquer the light, and even it resorts to killing the person. You have to be on guard at all times Ruia. Where all the siblings could do is simply kill you, the darkness can do so much more. It can torment you long after death." 

* * *

Yugioh watched with mild amusement as Ruia rocked on her heels next to him. He could see the nervousness etched onto her face and the sense that she would rather be anywhere but in the throne room at that very moment. Grasping her hand tightly in his own, he brought it to his lips and kissed it softly. "Just breathe love. It will be all right, I promise. Why do you not sit down here next to me and try to calm down before Jarha and Satire come?" 

Ruia sighed. "I would rather stand, easier to escape this meeting if need be. It is just…I really do not want to hurt Jarha like this." She straightened a wrinkle in her gown. "It is not his fault that I all ready found my soul mate, the one who makes me complete." She smiled softly, relaxing slightly at the sight of Yugioh's calm nature. Though, at the very same time, unnerved her as well. 'How can he remain so calm when he is about to destroy lives with just one simple phrase?' She knew she could not sit down; if she did everyone would see just how scared she really was. 

"It is okay to be scared Ruia, I know this is not going to be easy, especially on you for you have a history with Jarha. You spent time together and you do generally care for him, despite what your intuition is warning you of. You just do not want to hurt him and that is admirable, but we do have to do this. I do not want to hide our feelings anymore. I just want to shout to all of Egypt how much I care for you." He pulled her down into his lap and nestled his face into her neck. 

It was then Ruia finally understood. The gesture had made her finally see what Yugioh was saying, though not directly. He was just as terrified as she was and holding her, was his only source of comfort. "You are…worried too?" 

"Just because I have had formal training in dealing with situation like these, does not make them any easier. In fact, I believe this may be harder, for Jarha has been my High Priest for some time now and despite his sister's unique methods of pursuit, I still do not want to hurt her. That is one fear of mine, but the other, well that should be apparent. I am worried about you and our unborn child." He placed his hand across her stomach. "I fear for our child, why I do not completely know. Is it the reaction the siblings may have? Possibly. Or is it simple that I am concerned about being a good father and good husband." 

Ruia smiled, and then softly kissed him. "You will be a fine husband and father and I do not need my divinity to tell me. We can do this, I know we can, as long as we are together, right?" She winked and stood again, breathing deeply to calm her racing heartbeat. Gently she traced her hand over the delicate carvings on the far stonewall that depicted the Goddess Maat judging a trial, a fitting design for the throne room. 'Ironic, today Yugioh and I will be judging our own lives, as well Jarha and Satire. I never understood how one moment, one decision could affect so much. Now though, I am not nearly as naïve. My actions have caused a great deal of suffering but at the same time escalation. I may have regretted my decisions before, when I was sure Yugioh would follow through with our traditions, but now I see how blind I was to the truth. Dear Maat, you have opened many eyes to the truth, but none more than mine. I beseech you, please bless Jarha and his sister Satire with the same insight as you have given me.' 

"Pharaoh Yugioh, you wished to speak to my sister and…RUIA?" 

Ruia turned slowly, coming face to face with Jarha, who stood speechlessly next to his sister, whose eyebrow slightly rose at the site of Ruia being alone with the Pharaoh. Ruia glared back, hoping desperately the intimidation she felt in her stomach did not show on her face. 'I cannot afford to get into anytime of fight, verbal or physical, not when the health of my child is at stake.' "Good evening Jarha, Satire. I pray Ra finds you in excellent health this fore night?" 

"The day finds my brother and I in excellent health, Ruia. Now run along, the Pharaoh has some business to attend with my brother and I and not with traitorous backstabbers like you. I am not sure how a manipulative being such as yourself ever found work as a servant to such a decent ruler as Yugioh himself, but I guess you just have a way of getting yourself into favorable situations. You might as well head home wench, I will make sure to tell Yugioh of all your heinous acts against my family and see to it that Yugioh makes you pay for hurting my brother so." Satire smirked suddenly. "If I did not know any better, I bet you took this job just to try to sleep with the Pharaoh knowing you could never find a person that would truly love you." 

"HOW DARE YOU SPEAK TO MY FIANCEE IN SUCH A MANOR!" In a flash, Yugioh was to his feet glaring viciously at Satire. He disliked the woman before for her distasteful behavior, but now all he felt was rage. 'How dare she speak so ill of Ruia, she knows nothing of her characteristics or she could never speak such harsh words.' 

"Fi…Fiancée?" Jarha stuttered in disbelief, finally able to speak. "Ruia…is this true? Is he the one that your heart belonged too?" He took a step towards her. "My sweet, do you not understand that the Pharaoh is just using you? You are nothing more to him that just a harlot, he will leave you to the streets the moment he is bored with you. I…and only I my love, can truly understand the needs and desires that you so righteously deserve. Please Ruia, wake up from this delusional dream. He could never love you like I do. I am your destiny, not he." 

Subconsciously, Ruia took a step back, pressing her back against the cool stonewall, glancing at Yugioh who now was blocked from her by Jarha's approaching form. "No Jarha, no one could love me like Yugioh does. He appreciates me for whom I am and does not try to force me into being someone I am not. Yugioh would never use me and I have more than enough proof to back my claims." She felt her throat tighten in fear as she realized that she had no means of an escape route. Jarha totally had her trapped in the against the wall and knowing Satire, from what Yugioh had told her, would do everything in her abilities to keep Yugioh from helping her. 'Sekhmet, if need be I WILL make you proud.' 

"Get away from my wife, Jarha before I personally send you to the realm my grandfather locked away." He watched Jarha stiffen. "That is correct Jarha, I can tell by your face you know what I am taking about. I will send you to the Shadow Realm if you touch my wife." Yugioh moved forward. "Now…move as…" Yugioh stumbled back as Satire launched herself into his arms. 

"Oh my love, let the two lovers over there bond, though I still do not understand what my brother sees in that tramp. But I shall not let his personal matters concern the likes of me. I have more pressing matters, namely you. Pharaoh Yugioh, you do not have to associate with the likes of Ruia, I am here now, and you do not need to waste your time on foolish beings like that commoner." She pressed up closer to Yugioh, wrapping his arms tightly around his neck and purred gently. "Let us slip away to more, intimate rooms." 

Grasping Satire's wrist tightly in his hand, he pushed him off her and sent her tumbling to the ground. "The threat I made to your brother applies to you as well Satire. Leave my family alone. I wish to have nothing to do with you, intimately or socially. The only person that I ever want to be with is Ruia; get that through both of your heads. I do not care that she is of less rank than I am, most of Egypt is, however, I know she is my soul mate and no one will ever change that." His eyes flickered darkly back at Jarha. "I said move away from her Jarha." 

"I do not believe I will Pharaoh. I cannot in good consciousness allow you to continue to manipulate Ruia's emotions like this. She is too pure, too sweet to be seduced by your actions." He tenderly reached out and ran his fingers against her cheek. "Please my love, do not be fooled by his words of 'love'. It is imperative that you break the spell that he has over you. Yugioh does not love you, I and only I can love you in the ways that you need to be…" He fixated his gaze on Ruia. "Please…" 

A twinge of awareness shot up through Ruia's back. 'Magic! Jarha is trying to use magic on me!' Reacting faster that she thought possible, Ruia smacked Jarha's hand off her face. "Your attempts will not work on me Jarha." She whispered icily, trying to allude that she knew exactly what he was trying to do with his magic. "Now my husband to BE asked you to kindly remove yourself from me. I suggest you and your sister listen to his threats unless you would like to spend the rest of eternity in this Shadow Realm." 

This time, Ruia had no time to block or prevent Jarha's actions. The force of the slap sent her reeling to the ground in shock. "Little wench, you act as if you are my equal; you are NOT. I will teach you proper ranks and respect yet woman." He raised his hand again. "You will re…" he trailed off as the point of a dagger rested against the back of his neck, digging slowly into his flesh. 

"She will what, Jarha? Could you speak a little louder? None of us can hear you now or have you reconsidered finishing that sentence? Personally, I would like to slit your neck right now for threatening my wife and child, but you are not worth my time." He whispered menacingly, pushing the dagger in a little more, drawing a little blood. 

"CHILD?" Satire roared, glaring venom at Ruia. "You harlot! Yugioh did not seduce you, but rather you seduced him! Made sure you got pregnant so YOU could have his HEIR!" 

Looking up from the ground, Ruia blinked. "No you both have it wrong. Yugioh and I LOVE each other. He does not try to dominate me or change how I am. He loves me for me and our unborn child!" 

"HARLOT!" Satire lunged at Ruia, removing a dagger that was concealed beneath her gown. "Yugioh will be mine!" Slashing downwards, she grinned wickedly. "Die wench." 

'I have to protect my child, at all costs." Rolling to her side, the blade only ripped the loose part of her robes, barely touching her at all. 'Have to get help or something. I cannot let Satire harm my child.' Kicking out with her leg, she prayed that she at least hit the dagger out of Satire's hand. 

"RUIA, JUST GET OUT!" Yugioh yelled, feeling the panic rise in his voice. He had to protect her and their child. 

Jarha smiled wickedly. The Pharaoh was distracted, leaving him the perfect opportunity to attack. Throwing his elbow back, he managed to catch Yugioh off guard, causing the young Pharaoh to gasp in shock and pain. Not wasting a moment, Jarha pulled Yugioh forward and flipped him. Smirking to himself, he picked up the discard dagger. Flicking it outward as he watched Yugioh shakily climb to his feet. "I would have thought you would have been more of a challenge Yugioh for someone as weak as you does not deserve to marry someone like Ruia. You shall never have her. I will kill you first." 

"Then you will have to kill me. I all ready have her, though she is not really mine. She belongs to no one Jarha." He smirked, the quickly resumed his glare. 'I have to end this quickly. Ruia is not trained yet, I have to protect her at all cost.' 

Ruia inched slowly away from Satire. 'Armed to unarmed, this is so not fair odd.' She slowly let out a breath. Satire was a lot stronger than she looked. 'It is their magic the darkness is making it that much stronger. I was unaware that they possessed such skills such as magic. I can sense it though, deep with in them, the magic, their souls black as night. This is why Yugioh and I felt so much dead surrounding this meeting. Satire and Jarha are adept magic users, black magic.' She glanced up at her enemy. Satire's lips had curled into a twisted smile, one that sent shivers down her spine. The woman had no qualms or doubts about killing her or her unborn child. "I will fight you Satire and you will not win. No matter what you do, Yugioh will never love you like he does me and I have the utmost proof." Her back hit against the wall. 'NO! I was not watching where I was going…' 

"He will learn in time what he was truly missing. You will be a figment of the past, once I rid you of this world." The dagger came down once again, this time drawing blood down Ruia's arm. "Pitiful excuse for a Queen, you cannot even defend yourself against a simple attack. You are weak. Yugioh needs someone strong, cunning, and manipulative by his side, namely me. Farewell harlot." Satire brought down the dagger again. 

Ruia's eyes widen and opened her mouth to scream; yet no sound came. 'I failed my child…' She closed her eyes tightly, afraid to watch. 

Yet, no pain came. Slowly Ruia opened her violet eyes and gasped in shock. Satire had been pinned to the ground, a sword across her back. The guard raised his head. "Never a dull moment with you and Yugioh is it?" 

Ruia blinked, then let out a small chuckle and shook in relief. "Jou…" Her nervousness quickly returned. "Yugioh" she gasped. Scrambling to her feet, Ruia scanned the room, looking for Yugioh. Watching the fight between Jarha and Yugioh made her stomach churn. 'All because of me… I have to help.' Ruia looked at Jou. "Watch that wench." 

Yugioh dove out of the way, narrowly avoiding Jarha's latest attack. "I do not know what is funnier Jarha, your weak attempts to kill me or your delusion that Ruia actually will marry you ever." Thrusting out his palm, Yugioh could feel his divinity flow through his veins. He would not allow anything to threaten his family. "Mind Crush!" 

A black void met Yugioh's attack, causing the Pharaoh's eyes to widen in utter shock. 'He…he blocked my magic, but how?' Involuntarily he took a small step away from the void, hoping to avoid not only the void itself, but also to see Jarha who was conveniently hidden by the giant black hole. 'Where is that coward hiding now?' His eyes flickered about the room quickly, trying to sense where Jarha would strike next. 

'He does not even realize that I am behind him, that the void was cast by my sister to allow me time to slip behind him.' Jarha smiled and slipped quietly up to Yugioh, dagger raised to deliver the final blow. 'Good night Pharaoh…. forever.' 

"SOUL MYSTIFICATION!" 

Jarha screamed as he went flying back into the wall, utterly shocked. Yugioh turned to see the dagger that Jarha had been clutching fall from his hand. Turning back slowly, realizing just how close he was to death, his gaze settled on Ruia. Her palm was out, shaking uncontrollably. 'Such raw power she wields…and she saved my life.' "Ruia?" 

"I…could…not…let…him…harm…you" Ruia stuttered, still shaking. She was not sure where the attack came from only glad it had come. Never had she been so scared as she was when she watched Jarha come up from behind Yugioh, dagger raised. "You are all right?" 

"I am fine love. Are you okay?" 

"I am now that I know you are okay." Her eyes fluttered as she fell limply to the ground. 

Springing from his position, Jou caught Ruia before she hit the cold stone ground. Within seconds, Yugioh was next to her as well, concern plastered on his face. "Ruia? Ruia!" 

"I am fine, the siblings…" she whispered, tiredly. 

The two men glanced up. The siblings had somehow managed to regain their strength and regroup. Moving protectively in front of Yugioh and Ruia, Jou held his sword out. "Get out, both of you." 

Satire laughed. "One measly mortal against us? I am sorry, but my brother and I could destroy you Jou. Now move out of our way, we have unfinished business to complete with the Pharaoh and his dear harlot." 

Jou grinned recklessly. "One mortal? My dear Satire, your math leaves something to be desired." 

"What are you talking about guard?" 

"Is that not apparent Satire? Jou is not alone." Honda spoke up from behind the two siblings. Next to him, stood Setto, eyes narrowing at the two traitors. 

"In fact, Satire, Jarha, we are all present and willing to fight." Bakura spoke. "I warned you to watch your actions. You carelessly ignored my warnings and now you shall pay for them." Athena moved out of the shadows and stood next to Bakura. She too was willing to risk all for the royal family. 

Jarha looked at his sister. "It seems dear sister that the odds greatly disfavor us." 

"Ai, it does brother. But this fight is far from over Pharaoh. Mark my words. We will return to destroy your family and you will be mine and that harlot will pay for her actions." 

Setto chuckled. "This fight IS over. You have no hope of escape." 

Raising her hands above her head, Satire brought them down at lightening speed, causing a large cloud of smoke to appear. 

Yugioh gripped Ruia tighter with his arms. "SOMEONE find them! NOW" Coughing, he clutched Ruia's shaking form closer, afraid as if, of losing her. 

Moments later, the smoke cleared. Yugioh did not even have to ask. He all ready knew the answer to his question. The siblings were gone. 

* * *

A single candle flickered dimly in the damp, musty room. Silhouettes danced against the stones, giving off the illusion spirits moving, planning misdeeds. A sole figure stepped into the poor light, her eyes glaring venom. "They will pay for their trickery brother. I do not care whether they live or die now; both shall pay dearly for making such fools of us all this time." 

A voice spoke up from the shadows. "What do you have in mind dear sister? A simple divide and conquer?" 

Satire chuckled. "No Jarha, I feel the Pharaoh's and his harlot's actions require a much more painful punishment. Simply turning them against one another is not enough, nor do I think we could ever achieve it. No, rather we must strike them where it will hurt most, play on their greatest weakness…each other." 

Jarha smiled. "Instead of turning them against each other, we take from them their only stability. I take what is rightfully mine, dear sweet Ruia Ana, thus leaving you the Pharaoh for your pleasure. Though, that power Ruia seems to posses, than could be a problem." 

"She is quite untrained in her magic. That one simple spell weakened her condition greatly. If I did not know any better, I would think that Ruia had never attempted that spell before. Still, even though her magic is raw, it is quite a threat, especially if her magic transfers to her unborn child. And if what you say is true as well, that Yugioh posse's stronger magic than he lets on, their child can be the biggest threat. He or she could posse immense power; power that I am afraid the two of us may not be able to stand up against." 

"I do not understand Satire. What are you suggesting?" Jarha asked, turning his dagger over the flame, watching the heat warm the blade. 'Even though she has betrayed me to the highest degree, I cannot help but feel that Ruia has been manipulated by Yugioh's influence. She loves me; I know it. I will not let my sister kill her, rather I will just take the fair maiden away from here, away from her beloved Yugioh.' He stabbed the dagger into the table. 

Satire's eyes flickered from the blade to her brother, then back to the dagger. 'If I had my way, I would kill the harlot instantly and enjoy watching her bleed slowly to death. However, her being with child complicates matters. Yugioh is not stupid; he will not leave her alone for a moment.' "The plan is simple Jarha. Ruia will not be left unattended, especially while she is pregnant. However, once that child is born, then it will be easy to make our move. Let us use these next few months to prepare our attack. If we plan this correctly, we shall lure the royal family into a false sense of security, thus giving us the element of surprise." 

"Surprise and time to raise quite a force against the Pharaoh, I feel that not many will take to this union between Ruia and Yugioh. A relationship between a commoner and royalty will never be accepted and surely others will look to strike back. People like those may help our cause greatly." 

"Indeed brother. In fact, I have heard of a group not far from Memphis that maybe able to lend their aid, experience, and their wealth to us. But let us not discuss our plans here. The walls have ears after all. We have gotten the books that I needed before we exited the palace. Now that we have taken them, let us move silently into the night. The longer we are still present in this palace, the more likely one the Pharaoh's idiot guards will stumble upon us." 

"I thought you said no one knew about this hidden room Satire. That no one had used it in ages or knew about the passage way to get here, that is why it made it the ideal room to practice our magic." Jarha asked quizzing. 

"No one knows of this particular room, yes this is true, however, the fates have not been kind to us this day brother. I do not feel like tempting them further. If we are to achieve that our goals will be accomplished, we first must make sure we are living. Soon though, we will return and all we have ever wanted will be ours for the taking…including our loves." 

Jarha moved into the light finally, a sinister smile etched upon his face. "Ours for the taking, either by choice or by force. The fates dear sister may not be smiling on us today, but the war is not over. We will have them like you say. It is our birthright, our destiny." 

Satire nodded, eyes dancing in the light. "Exactly brother. In less than nine months, Egypt will see an up rise that it has never seen before. Friends will turn on friends, family against family, and if we plan this right…lovers will fall from one another forever." She moved to her brother's side, gripping his arm tightly. "I can hardly wait Jarha. The act of revenge makes me feel so alive. I only hope that the Pharaoh and his new family do not fall to someone else's hand. I would rather have that pleasure." 

Pulling the dagger from the table, Jarha stared at the blade. "Indeed sister, I to long for that pleasure." 'Soon Yugioh I will return for you and when I do, you will pay for hurting Ruia…pay with your life.' 

"Let us go brother." Whispering a soft spell, a black void appeared before the two siblings. Leading her brother through the portal, the void closed tightly around them. 

Unknown to the two siblings, a figure moved silently from under the table. His dark eyes scanned the room once, his dark mopped hair damp with sweat. 'I thought for sure they would realize that I was under that table.' Scurrying quickly from the room, half in fear that Satire and Jarha would return to harm him, Ducky fled from his secret playroom. 'I have to find my brother. I know he will want to know what those evil people said.' 

* * *

Ruia gingerly propped herself up against the pillows that seemed to surround her whole body. She glanced up at Bakura, waiting for the lecture to come. She had not moved much, but it was still enough to alarm Yugioh, whose eyes were wide in fear. Though, now that she thought more about it, his eyes had been the wide since she collapsed. 

"Ruia, it is imperative that you stay still, at least for a little bit. I just want to completely sure that you and the baby are in no danger from this little spell of yours." Bakura said, moving back over to her. "I promise, this will not take long. I just need you to finish that medicine that I brought you and rest." 

"How do you know that nothing is wrong with me and my child just by that medication?" Ruia asked, with a glance. 

"You are not the only one with magic, my dear future queen." He smiled. "I have seemed to posses some magic as well, though mine is not as defined as yours. Normally though, I can tell at just a glance what ails a person and from there I can brew a suitable medication. Granted, it does not always work, nothing with magic is ever certain, but it is affective enough that I have learned to trust it and in my visions." 

"A visionary as well, I should have guessed. All this time, the answer was right in front of me about you and it never occurred to me that you had the same gift as I, the gift of foresight." Ruia leaned back into the pillow. 'As much as I trust Bakura's medical opinion, he does not know of my divinity like Ashina. I should send a letter to her post haste telling her of this latest news.' 

"Now, I have a question for you Ruia, you as well Pharaoh." Bakura spoke, interrupting Ruia's internal thoughts. He moved to the door and motioned Setto, Jou, Honda, and Athena in. "Something that I feel we all need to be made aware of. For if what I suspect is true," he glanced back at Ruia, "your unborn child just may in fact be the key to preserving our civilization." 

Yugioh looked down at Ruia, before moving beside her, sitting down upon the bed. Grasping her hand tightly, he smirked. "I think they are on to us love." 

"Ai, I am." Bakura laughed. "So the legends are true, as another in this room knows as well." He looked over at Athena, who was turning bright red. 

"My mother and I knew of Yugioh's hidden birthright a week after his birth and I suspect Ruia's when I met her at five. I know I should have spoken up sooner, but I heeded my mother's wise words, even long after death. It was best that no one knew just exactly whom Yugioh and Ruia really are." 

"For the rest of us in the room who have no idea what is going on, what is so special about Ruia's and Yugioh's magic? It is just normal magic, right?" Jou asked, shooting looks to Setto and Honda as well, who had just as clueless looks on their face. 

"If their magic was simply just magic, then yes Jou, we would be overreacting. But their magic is more unique than that, in fact it is legendary, Yugioh and Ruia are divinity, also commonly referred to as the Divine Children." Bakura smiled at the two. "I should have realized the truth long ago, much like Athena had. The bond those two pose is intensely strong, so strong that it even transcend class." 

Setto blinked. "The legend of the divinity children is true? You mean to tell me that Yugioh here is the Divine Father and Ruia is the Divine Mother?" He paused. "That means then their child would be the legendary divine son. Amazing." 

Jou looked at the two closely. "So that means, I remember the stories that my mother told me, you two each are protected by a deity and have some form of a guardian, correct?" 

"Ai and we both also have a realm of influence as well and I think I just discovered mine today. I am able to control the realm of the soul, light or dark I am not sure at all. I am protected by the goddess of war and protection, Sekhmet and my guardian is the Mystical Elf, though beware of her magic, it is just like mine - sporadic." Ruia chuckled, feeling no illness about telling her closest friend her moment heavily guarded secret. 'I will have to tell Anzu as well…' 

"I guess that is my cue to continue. Father knew what I was as well, most likely Shua told him what she and young Athena saw. This is why he put me through intense magical training because of what I was. Through this training, I found out that I control the realm of the mind, the dark side of it. My guardian deity is the Almighty Ra himself and my monster guardian is the Dark Magician. I hope you all understand why we kept this information a secret for so long. If news of our divinity were to reach public ears, both our lives would be at great risk, especially Ruia's. In fact…I am glad you are here Jou." 

"Oh? What do you need Pharaoh?" 

"I want you to be Ruia's guard. I am not going to take the siblings threats lightly, especially when her magic is far from controlled. I want to make sure that when my duties to country call me away, she will still be protected." 

"I am laying right here you know. I can hear you word for word. I am not some helpless flower either, but I would appreciate the extra protection as well Jou." 

Jou blinked. "She agreed to that too far quickly Pharaoh. You sure she is okay in the head?" He smirked. "It will be my honor to guard the future Queen, Yugioh. And do not fret Ruia. I promise I shall let no harm, unless done by me, come to you." 

"Speaking of the future," Athena broke in, "I almost forgot. The plans that you wished to have for your wedding Pharaoh have been given to the temple priests per request. Their replies have been placed on the table in here." She pointed to four scrolls on the table, now that Ruia had noticed them, seemed greatly out of place. 

"Thank you Athena. Until Ruia is feeling better, however, I do not wish to continue those plans." Yugioh spoke softly, holding Ruia's hand tightly in his own. 

"I…AM…FINE." Ruia accented each word, hoping to drive home the point. She hated this feeling, that everyone just assumed she was weak. It annoyed her greatly, but yet, she still understood everyone's concern. She was alarmed too when she collapsed, but more for her child than herself. She felt fine now, despite everyone thinking she was still too weak to do much. 

Yugioh raised his eyebrow. "Must you be so stubborn?" 

"Must you not listen to a word I am saying? I will listen to Bakura's wishes, but honestly I feel fine, really. I would not risk my unborn child's health like that and it really bothers me that you and the others think I would." 

"We do not think that Ruia, honestly. I think I speak for everyone here when I say we are just concerned for your health. To just collapse like that, from using magic is not healthy in the least bit." Honda countered. 

"BIG BROTHER! BIG BROTHER, WHERE ARE YOU?" 

Setto quickly turned. "In the Pharaoh's room!" He glanced apologetically at Ruia and Yugioh before being knocked to the ground "Duckie, what is it," noting his brother's panicked expression. 

Throwing his tiny arms around his brother's neck, Mokuba Zaki buried his face deep into Setto's shoulder. "I…heard them…they want to hurt them." 

"Who did you hear Duckie?" Yugioh asked softly. "Who did these people want to hurt?" 

"You and her…" he replied, pointing a finger at Ruia. "Those were bad people Setto. They talked about dark magic and how…" 

"Ruia?" Setto asked. 

"Yeah, Ruia's magic was weak and untrained. They are coming back to hurt them after they have had time to plan." He burst into tears. "I do not want anything to happen to Yugioh or Ruia." 

Yugioh moved off the bed and knelt down next to Duckie. "I promise you young one. Nothing will happen to Ruia or me. The people that you saw will be stopped, I assure you. Okay?" 

Mokuba nodded. "All right." 

Athena came forward. "Why do we not head to the cook and see about getting you something special for being so brave? Would you like that?" 

Nodding slowly, he took her hand as Athena led him from the room. Once they were out of earshot, Ruia found herself exclaiming "They were still in the palace? I thought this whole place was searched!" 

"We searched the rooms we know about. However, this palace is filled with several passages way, with literally dozens of hidden rooms. There are not many people still living that know of all these rooms. Apparently, Satire and Jarha were in one such room and is seems that Setto's brother knows of this room as well." Jou explained, a thoughtful expression on his face. "So they are planning to come back. I wonder why they are waiting." 

"That should be apparent Jou, they were caught off guard, by Ruia nonetheless." Bakura answered, with a smiling appearing. "I mean, she caught all of us off guard with her magic, undoubtedly she scared the siblings as well. She has strong magic, one it seems that they have underestimated and have to plan for." 

"But Satire or Jarha called my magic weak, which it is. Why would they give me time to enhance my skills, unless they think because of my pregnancy I would not risk it?" 

"That may be part of it commoner, though I also think they are looking for allies. They know full well they cannot stand against us. They are waiting until they can build an army against us, but thanks to Duckie, we will be waiting for them. And I think training should begin immediately for Ruia. Even if it is defensive training, her gifts need to be brought under some form of control. To keep it raw like it is endangers not only her health, but also the child's as well. I cannot in good health allow her to be exposed like that." Yugioh replied, moving once again to Ruia's side. 

"Hold up a moment. What type of training we discussing here? I know I need to learn magical defense, but should I not learn physical defense as well? I need to know that as well, just in case too. I mean everyone in this room saw it. Satire and Jarha not only have magical abilities, but it also seems that they are both skilled with weapons." 

Honda looked over at Jou. "We can handle that quite easily if you would like Pharaoh. Jou and I have trained guards in the past, teaching Ruia simple maneuvers to avoid unarmed to armed combat should be easy enough. Maybe we should even teach her some minor armed lessons as well. I know you have your magic, but some times, in close combat it might not be a bad idea to have a dagger near you." 

Yugioh nodded in agreement. "I agree full heartedly. So that just leaves the magic, which I will handle. Once you feel better that is Ruia. Until then, rest and we can plan our wedding out more. I have all ready sent notices to Rome and Athens, but by the time they receive it, I hope to be married. I thought a small affair would be best and before we make our announcement to Memphis and the rest of Egypt." 

"Do you think…I mean, is that a good move? Should we not tell your people first?" Ruia asked, a bit confused. 'Does he feel that no one will accept us and this is his only option? Or is it more complicated than just that?' 

"I am tired Ruia of putting other needs before my own. For the first time in my life, I am going to do what I want to do. I do not need the people's permission to marry the person I want to spend the rest of my life with. I all ready know those answers and I do not want to wait any longer than necessary. Once you are well, we shall marry and start your magical training. I promise." 

"And the siblings…" 

"Will be dealt with in time. Right now, just concentrate on getting stronger so we can have our wedding. Honda, Jou, Setto, Bakura, and I will deal with the siblings right now. You just rest right now and I mean that Ruia." Yugioh stood. "Athena, will you stay with Ruia and make sure she does not doing anything overly rash?" 

A scream echoed behind him, then muffled by something, most likely a pillow. He waited for something to hit him, surprised when nothing came. 

Not even flinching, Athena nodded briskly. "It will be an honor Yugioh. After caring for you and Setto for most of my life, it will be a nice change of pace to watch someone who will actually listen to me for a change." She winked at Ruia, who wore a huge smile on her face. 

Setto blinked. "I listened! Most of the time…never…but that was because we were close in age!" He chuckled. "Okay, I never paid attention to a word you said and was an absolute terror to you, but even you have to admit this Athena, I was NOTHING like Yugioh. He was far worse than I was." 

Yugioh's mouth dropped open. "I was not bad at all! I was a perfect…" A pillow hit him in the back of his head. "What was that for?" He turned a shot a smirk at his fiancée knowing full well what she was going to say. 

"A perfect target for a dip in the fountain you spoiled palace brat." She shook her head. "You had to be an absolute terror to poor Athena." 

"A terror that you are marrying. What does that say about you?" He replied with a twinkle in his eye, leaning close. 

"She is someone with no taste. Now move Yugioh!" 

Ruia smiled. "ANZU!" She launched her arms around her best friend and hugged her tightly. "I have so much I have to tell you about!" 

"First things first. Are you sure you are all right? Nothing is wrong with you or the baby right?" Anzu scanned over her friend with a sharp eye. 'She seems to be all right, yet the letter that Setto had sent me seemed so urgent. It does not make any sense, unless there is something I am not aware of.' 

"I am fine Anzu, as is my child, as long I rest, which I will Yugioh! Do not give that look!" She growled. "Actually, I am glad that you are here my friend. I can finally tell you the secret I have carried with me all my life. I am sorry that I did not tell you before, but it was to protect you. Now that this secret may get out, it is imperative that I tell you, for your own good." 

"Another secret? What is it this time Ruia Ana? I know you; it must be something huge if you even kept it from me for this long. So what is it, a long lost sibling?" 

Ruia shook her head lightly. "Do you remember, when we were small and we would listen to the temple priest tell us the story of the Divine Children and their guardians of the past?" 

"Sure, their guardians were the Duel Monsters, I always thought the Magician of Faith acted like the Divine Mother while you believed it was the Mystical Elf. We used to pretend that we had the legendary power and would be able to travel to far off places, live the ultimate dream." Anzu trailed off in the memory. "That was so long ago, we could not have been older than six. And when you father heard us talking about the monsters from the shadow games, I thought we were done for." She shook her head to clear her thoughts. "Why do you ask anyway?" 

"That dream came true Anzu, though I think it more of a curse than a blessing at times." Ruia sighed. "I was chosen, as a baby Anzu to be the Divine Mother of Egypt and Yugioh here is the Divine Father. That is why our connection is so strong with each other, we were bonded as divinity together." She took Yugioh's hand in her own. "Uncle Ay tried his hardest to train me in secret and only myself, father, and he knew of my heritage, until today when Jarha and his sister learned the truth as well. You must understand my friend; I kept this a secret to protect everyone in my life. IF you knew the truth, you too would be in utmost dangers. Now that Satire and Jarha know, you are in danger by knowing me, I had to let you know my secret so you would be aware of the risks. I am so sorry Anzu for all of this, honestly." 

"Ruia…how can you think I would ever be mad at you for something this important? I do no blame for you at al for your actions. Really." She paused. "Divinity that certain explains a lot. Is that why Ay would train you, because of you magic?" 

"Indeed, but as you can see, his training was in vain. I need to undergo far more intense practices if I am going to be able to live up to my title, as well as my role as a mother." Ruia paused, "that is if Bakura and Yugioh ever see fit to let me attempt it. After this last little spell, I have my doubts." 

"Do not worry my love, we will start off small and work out way up to that level of magic you performed this evening. Just be patient a little longer. Why do you not try and sleep some? I promise I will wake you the moment we hear news about the siblings." Yugioh smiled softly, the tension that he had felt earlier was slowly melting away every moment he watched his lover laughed and smiled. She was all right. Everything was going to be all right, he would make sure of it. 

"I will try, in a moment. There is something I would like to ask Anzu to do for me, a huge favor really." 

"Anything Ruia…" 

"Can you deliver a message to a friend Gizeh for me?" 

Anzu shifted slightly, casting a small look of doubt at her best friend. "Sure, I can straight there tomorrow morning. But I have to ask Ruia; all of our friends are present here in Memphis. Who do you know in Gizeh that you would want to alert them of your present situation or location too?" 

"An old friend of the family and the healer I went when I was trying to confirm I was indeed pregnant. My friend wanted my word that I would send notice if anything happened to me or my condition." She looked over at Bakura. "It is not because I do not trust your judgment, I just gave my word, and I do not wish to break that at all. " 

Bakura smiled and nodded his head slightly. "I take no insult in your actions. You made a promise to a friend and you wish to uphold your end of that promise. Why do I not send out a letter with Anzu with my diagnoses as well? This way, your healer an feel at ease about your care and pregnancy." 

"How much does this healer know about…us Ruia?" Yugioh asked, eyes staring deeply into Ruia's. 'This healer could be a threat to Ruia and I. He comes from the same village as Jarha and Satire. He could claim allegiances with them, rather than with myself and Egypt.' He glanced over at Setto and could see he was coming to the same realization as he was. 

"Pharaoh, permit me to accompany Anzu to Gizeh. I would feel at ease, as well as her parents no doubt, if I followed along. With Jarha and Satire on the loose, there is no telling what they may do, even attack mutual friends." Setto broke in suddenly. 

"Then you need to leave for Gizeh immediately!" Ruia cried out, before Yugioh could give his blessing. 'I doubt anyone knows of my connection to Ashina, but I refuse to take such a risk, not when a person's life is at stake' 

"Why Ruia? Why is it so urgent they leave tonight?" Yugioh said slowly, the fear building back in his stomach. 'Dear Ra, please do not let her say what I think so is …she could not have been that careless, though if she learned she was pregnant and that caused her world to crash down on her, maybe it is not as hard to believe as I thought.' 

Ruia refused to look at anyone as she weighed her options. 'Do I let them know that Ashina knows everything or just say part? The truth is bound to come out. I cannot betray all of them like this, not when they have done and risked so much for me all ready. I just cannot.' She looked up. "She knows who I am, what I am, who the father is." 

"The healer knows everything!" Yugioh's eyes widened. "Wait…she?" 

"The healer I went to in Gizeh is a female, yes Yugioh. I trust her with my secret, she will not tell a soul. I swear to you, I would not put us in danger like that if I did not think she could be trusted. Please believe me everyone." 

Yugioh nodded. "I may not agree with it, but I do believe you." He turned to Setto and Anzu. "You are to go to Gizeh and bring this female healer here to Memphis. I know you trust her Ruia and you judgment is normally sound, but I want to see and her it with my own eyes. Only then will I personally feel better about this whole situation." 

"I understand my love, I expect nothing less from you." 

"Does this female healer have a name that we can address her by" Setto asked, looking curiously at Ruia. 

"Ashina." She looked at Anza with tears. "Our Ashina has returned to Egypt my friend, that is why I wished you to go. To see her once more." 

"But she died in the raid of Alexandria, I thought!" Anzu placed a hand to her forehead in disbelief. "Did she not?" 

"Divine intervention that is the only answer I have for you Anzu, the only thing I can think of myself. Go to her, talk with her. She has come home for good." 

"This Ashina, I take it a childhood friend of both of you?" Jou asked. 

Anzu and Ruia both nodded quickly. "The very best." 

"I would still feel at ease if I could speak with her. Setto, Anzu, my wife to be is correct. Ashina needs to be reached tonight. You need to leave as soon as possible. Take Honda or Jou with you as well. The more protection you have, the better I will feel and the better Ruia will sleep." 

Setto turned to Anzu. "Let us inform your parents of your trip and leave immediately after." He looked back at the Pharaoh. "Will you two be all right if I am gone for the night and part of the day tomorrow?" 

"We will be fine. Just hurry and bring back this Ashina. I will sleep better knowing that she is not in danger or anything like that." Yugioh added, knowing Setto would understand what the anything like that stood for. "Report back to me the moment you arrive back in the city gates." 

"We will Yugioh. Let us depart Anzu, before he literally throws us of the city boundaries." He grasped Anzu's hand and pulled her up. "We will be back as quick as we can, I…we swear." Setto hurried from the room, Anzu falling into step right beside him. 

As she watched her two friends off, Ruia sighed and turned to look at Yugioh once more. "Just once, I wish things could just be simple." 

* * *

"Thank goodness Gizeh is not as large as Memphis or we may have never found Ashina's home." Anzu spoke, tucking a piece of her reddish brown hair behind her ear. "At least now, we have some form of a chance of convincing her to come back with us." 

Setto did not reply right away. 'I am still not convinced this Ashina character can be trusted especially with a secret such as divinity. Jarha came from this very village, who knows where Ashina's alliances lay.' He placed a hand on Anzu's shoulder. "Tell me about Ashina. Why do you and Ruia still trust her after so much time has past?" 

"She is our friend; she would never betray us, Ruia especially. The two had such a deep bond and I think I may understand why now. Ruia was schooled and trained by her Uncle Ay. Ashina went under rigorous tutoring by Achilles at the Temple of Sekhmet. Maybe she too is a magic welder and that is why they had that unspeakable bond of trust. Neither really had much of a childhood, but Ashina especially. She was always busy learning how to become a healer, which is why she was in Alexandria at the time of the raid. She was there with Achilles for a healer seminar and we all thought she had perished, I guess we were wrong." 

"A female healer is a unique situation, though not totally unheard of either. She must be very strong willed to overcome the ridicule she surely endured from other heal…we are here." He straightened his violet robes. "Hello?" he called out. 

"Just one moment and I will be right with you. Please, take a seat in the living room." A happy, but tired sounding voice called out. 

Setto grasped Anzu's hand and led her inside, taking note of every little detail that he could possibly find. Nothing seemed out of place or screamed a threat, but he could not afford to let go of his suspicions so easily. Not only because Anzu was with him, but also because the lives of Yugioh and Ruia rested on his very shoulders. There was too much at stake to be careless, even if this Ashina was an old friend. 

"Setto, you act as if she is guilty of something." Anzu whispered sharply. "I know you and Yugioh are worried about Ashina knowing the truth and telling the wrong people that information, but please, PLEASE, try and keep an open mind. " 

"Was I being that obvious?" He asked with a sheepish grin. "I do not wish to think ill of your friend Anzu, but we have to be cautious as well. Years have passed, people change, especially if she was raised in Greece. Ruia may have made a mistake trusting her so quickly." He ran his hand through his hair, noting the icy glare he was receiving. "I take it you do not agree." 

"You do not trust Ruia's judgment? I have never met another soul who could read another's intentions so accurately as Ruia does. Take into consideration her assessment of Jarha. She knew before anyone else what a bastard he truly was. If she trust Ashina, then I have no doubts in my mind that we should as well." Her eyes lowered. "I know it does not make complete sense, but it never did to me either. Though, if she is the Divine Mother, then maybe it does." 

"Maybe you are correct, but I will feel better seeing it and hearing it for myself." He trailed off as footsteps approached the couple. "We will discuss this later." 

"Now, what can…ANZU" Ashina exclaimed. "What are, how did you…did something happen to Ruia? Is she okay?" Her thoughts whipped through her head. The latest thought more jumbled than the previous. 

"She and the baby are fine, Ashina. She had a bit of a spell, related to her magic, but is healthy. Bakura, a healer for the palace, is taking excellent care of her." She paused, wiping the crystalline tears from her eyes. "It is good to see you again my friend." 

Ashina smiled, brushing her copper hair behind her. "As it is too see you. And who is traveling with you? Your husband perhaps?" She watched as a blush crossed both their faces. 'It seems I have struck a nerve.' 

"No, we are not married. I am Setto, High Priest to Pharaoh Yugioh miss…" 

"Thaddeus. Ashina Djoser-Thaddeus." 

"My apologizes. We have come to request you presence at the palace for a meeting. Pharaoh Yugioh would like to meet his fiancée's long lost friend." Setto replied, without a trace of his fibbing appearing on his face. 

Ashina looked at Setto with a critical eye. "I take it I have no real choice in the matter. You want to assure yourselves that I am not a threat to Ruia or the Royal Family knowing one of their greatest and most guarded secrets." 

"Exactly." Setto replied, not missing a beat. He was a little caught off guard by Ashina's quick nature, but he did not want her to know that. Though, in the back of his mind, he was sure she knew exactly what his game was. 

"My husband Marc and I were actually planning to return to my deceased father's house at the end of the season. I see now that it is probably in our best interests to do it sooner." She pursed her lips together in thought. 

"Ashina, Setto and I have been instructed to bring you by this evening. Pharaoh's orders you understand." 

"Then who am I to deny Pharaoh Yugioh's orders? Allow me one moment to leave Marc a papyrus with where I am. If I up and left with no notice, he would be most concerned." 

Setto nodded and watched Ashina scurry from the room. "She is a smooth talker that is for sure. She gave me all the answers I wanted to hear and even the ones I did not. I wonder what her true motives are? No wonder Ruia believed her so easily. Without training, anyone would." 

"True motive? Setto can you not tell how genuinely concerned about Ruia and her unborn child. She is willingly coming to Memphis with us. How can you still doubt her word like that still?" Anzu whispered harshly, eyes narrowing. 

"Anzu, think just for a moment. Every answer she gave us was too convenient. She just happens to be moving back to Memphis. How do we know it is not from learning Ruia's secret? We do not. She agreed to quickly, never put up an argument. Again, why did she not? It does not make much sense when you think about it some." 

"Unless she is being truthful. An option you do not even want to consider!" 

"I am ready to leave…" a voice spoke from the doorway, eyes not giving away whether she had heard any of Setto's and Anzu's conversation. 

Silently, Anzu stepped away from Setto and grasped Ashina's arm, leading her outside. "Ignore him Ashina…" She glanced over at Honda. "Ashina, Honda, Head guard for the Pharaoh. He will be escorting us back to the palace. Fair warning, he will not be on our side either…" 

Ashina smirked. "I guess some things never change." 

* * *

"You wished to speak with me, my Pharaoh?" Ashina asked bowing before Yugioh, whose eyes had narrowed the moment she had entered the room. Ashina remained in her position, sensing that Yugioh neither trusted her word or her presence. 'Everything must seem convenient to him as well, as it did Setto. He must know that Ruia told me their secret like I thought. There must be a way to convince him of my allegiance, but how?" 

"Arise." Yugioh studied the woman before him. She did not seem like much, yet he could faintly sense her own magic. 'She is a craft user, this is fact, yet it does not seem offensive based at all.' "You are a female healer, from Gizeh, originally from this fair village of Memphis?" 

"Ai, my Pharaoh. From the age of four, the High Priest Achilles has trained me in the arts of a healer. When I was ten, I was taken to a conference in Alexandria. I was separated from Achilles and his family during the raid on the town. I was taken hostage and to be sold into slavery. On the way, our ship sank and I managed to float to banks of Greece. There, I fell under the care of a Grecian healer. I remained there and studied with him until I was able to make my way home to Egypt with his grandson Marc, my husband you see. We settled temporarily in Gizeh when money became tight, but once I have straighten out my family affairs here, we planned on coming back to Memphis and settle up practice here. We are both healers." 

Yugioh leaned back against his throne. "You answered that a little too quickly Ashina, maybe too quickly. Are you giving me the answers I want to hear or are you being genuine?" 

Ashina opened her mouth to defend herself, but found herself being cut off by another's voice. 

"Do you trust in me and my magic so little Yugioh?" Ruia glided into the room and sat next to her husband to be. "I had a feeling you were going to try something like this to Ashina." 

"Ruia, you should not be out of bed yet, not so soon after your episode." He placed a hand to her check. "What am I going to do with you?" A faint smile crossed her lips. 

It was then Ruia knew she had won the argument. "I am okay palace brat. I promise I will go back to our chambers once you here my piece. I do not understand it, but I can sense people's intentions, as you know. Ashina is on our side. I trust her completely with our secret. She will not betray us to Jarha or Satire. My magic, though weak, tells me so." 

Yugioh sighed. "If this is how all our disagreements end, I am going to be the laughing stock of the palace." 

"Already are, love. But if you would like proof of Ashina's allegiance, I know how to do it." She reached across Yugioh's waist and pulled out his dagger. "Nice sharp blade, good." She took the blade and made a small slice across her finger. 

"RUIA!" Yugioh exclaimed, watching the crimson liquid seep down her finger slowly. "What are you doing?" He stared at her in wonder. 'Maybe she is not as well as I thought.' 

"She is doing this Pharaoh." Ashina moved over to Ruia and placed her hand over Ruia's finger and glowed.  
  
Yugioh watched in amazement at the light that seemed to pour from Ashina's body as if she too had some unexplainable magic. Unless Ruia was pulling something with her own magic, which seemed highly unlikely. Ruia was neither that skilled to control it like that nor was she that cruel to trick him into trusting Ashina like that. The glow was too intense to be created by Ruia, which only left one option; Ashina was performing the magic. What the light was actually doing, Yugioh could only speculate. 'Could it be? Ashina must have a small form of healing magic. Ruia cut her finger in order to prove that Ashina as loyal because she knew of Ashina's own secret.' 

Ashina stopped glowing and removed her hand from Ruia's finger. The slash mark that had been there previously was now completely healed. "You are foolish Ruia, you do realize this right?" She stepped back slightly and looked at Yugioh then back to Ruia. She had no idea what Ruia was planning or even hoping to achieve pulling such a stunt. 'She was trying to prove to Yugioh that I had magic as well that must be it. But why would Ruia do self a thing? If anything, the idea of me having magic will probably make Yugioh distrust me that much more.' 

"Now do you understand my love?" She waved her hand in front of his eyes. "She knows what it is like keeping a valuable gift hidden from public knowledge. Sure divinity is rare and unmatched by any known magic, but a healing magic is just as useful. It would give a person a feeling of invincibility if in the wrong hands. This is how I know Ashina will not betray us. She is in the same boat as we are Yugioh." She smirked slightly and bit her lip to hold in her laughter. She had outwitted Yugioh at his own game; she knew it. "Top that one." 

Yugioh chuckled and took her hand and kissed it. "All right commoner, you win." He turned to Ashina, a faint smile still lingering on his chiseled face. "After witnessing the events that transpired here this afternoon, I have no choice but to accept the idea that you mean Ruia and I no ill harm. You must understand my previous hostility. The secret we bear is great and heavy in responsibility. It would be costly to both of Egypt and us if the information were heard by unworthy ears. However, you and Ruia have made in clear that I have no reason to consider your presence a threat. I look forward to the day you return to Memphis for good." 

"As do I, another healer and friend at our side will be a great relief to my mind." 

"She is not taking care of you…"Yugioh whispered quickly. 

Ruia smiled and softly replied back. "Keep telling yourself that. I still want Bakura by my side but we cannot ignore Ashina's gift either. Why should we overlook a blessing in disguise? Her magic will be a great aid to my pregnancy; I know it. She does not have to remain in the palace. Her home will be Memphis, but…" she trailed off. 

"Just because I do not view her as a threat Ruia does not mean I trust her fully, not yet, especially with something as valuable as you and our unborn child. However, we will discuss this later. Now is not the best time for these personal matters." 

Ruia simply nodded. 'This may be one discussion I cannot win. I cannot force Yugioh to trust someone just because I do.' 

"Ashina you are dismissed. Setto and Honda will escort you back to Gizeh as soon as you are ready." He did not miss the look from both Ruia and Ashina about the travel arrangement. "It is not from a lack of trust mind you, just for safety. Ruia and I have many enemies and if they know you are loyal to us, that makes you a willing pawn in their games, that is all." 

"Ai, my Pharaoh." She bowed. "I will be in touch Ruia. Please keep me informed of your condition, especially if it changes rapidly again." 

"You can believe that I will Ashina." Ruia spoke quickly, before Yugioh could cut in. 

Ashina nodded. "Until then my friend." Exiting quickly, Ashina could not help but let out a small breath of relief. 'That could have went a lot worse than it did. Thank Ra for Ruia's input…or maybe I should say influence.' 

Ruia watched as her friend left the room and opened her mouth to speak. "I…" 

"I will think about it Ruia." Yugioh interrupted, rubbing his temples gently. "That is the best I can offer you right now." He smiled. "But I can hardly ever say no to you either. But we can finish this discussion later. You are supposed to be in our chambers resting, not gallivanting around the palace as if you rule it, which you do it seems." He lifted her to her feet. "I will stay with you for awhile if you wish. Maybe we can finally put the finishing touches on our wedding plans. I do not think I can wait much longer…" 

"Nor can I…" 

He kissed her forehead softly. "Soon my Love, soon the day will be here."


	14. Age Fifteen: The First Month, part three

Disclaimer: Nope no ownership here. I wish I owned Yugioh. Would be nice. I also don't own "You'll be in my heart" by Phil Collins, "Because you loved me" by Celine Dion, "Beneath a Desert Moon" by Stings, and "Two Worlds" by Phil Collins. 

**Anya: looks up wow I don't own a thing. Oh well, on to the second part******

* * *

Ruia paced inside her bed chambers, eyes darting about the room nervously. A week had passed since her episode with her magic, yet it was not the siblings that had her so worked up, if only it was that. Checking her blue dress one last time, she let out a breath of air. It would only be a few moments more before she and Yugioh adjourned for the temple of Isis for their engagement party. However, the party was not the source of her distress. After much debating, Ruia had finally convinced Yugioh to announce their engagement and invite the town of Memphis to the celebration at the temple. Now however, Ruia was having second and third thoughts about the whole idea. 

An arm snaked around her waist and pulled her slim figure close. "They are going to love you Ruia, just as much as I do." Yugioh smiled, hoping to put his fiancée at ease some. Searching her delicate face, he saw no change in her outward appearance or even magically. "Nothing I am going to say is going to make you feel better about this is it?" He rested his head atop hers. "I do not care that you do not come from a family of royals or nobility. You are you, commoner aside. Titles and opinions are meaningless. I love you and you love me. What more do we need? Nothing is ever going to change how I feel about you. Forget about the townspeople's opinions. I am only announcing our engagement out of respect, not for approval." A smirk crossed his face. "And one more thing, this was your brilliant idea." 

"I know, but you did agree as well. Besides, it was better not to deceive your, our people like this, not with Jarha and Satire still out there plotting against us. It was in our best interests to be honest with everyone, especially if they are ever to accept me for me." She turned in his arms, facing him for the first time that evening. She took note of his formal wear and the item he held within his free hand. "Yugioh…tonight? Now? Are you sure that is wise?" 

Yugioh held the crown between his hands and held it to the light, watching the colors reflect through the jewels. "Granted we are not married and normally the other spouse has his or her own country or kingdom's crown to wear, but this situation is unique. Besides, it will prove just how serious I am about you. But if it makes you feel any better, I have all ready asked Jou and Honda to stay close to you tonight, just to be safe. I do not believe Satire and Jarha would attempt something tonight, but I could not overlook the threat, not to mention other people's intentions. Just because we believe no one else knows about our unborn child does not mean some people do." He paused, looking straight into Ruia's eyes. "I am not going to take any chances. Jou will be around you at the party as well. Honda will be next to me so do not even bother with the question I see forming in your mind." 

"You know me well. I just pray to the gods and goddesses above that you are right about being overly cautious and all the extra security is unnecessary. But we are marked souls." She snuggles closer in Yugioh's embrace, finding solace and a sense of security from him. "Then again, it is not going to be the last time we are threatened, most likely, the first of many. How you have lived like this all of your life I do not know. I could not do it. I would go insane with worry." 

"The crowd is waiting for your announcement Yugioh." Setto spoke, walking swiftly into the bedroom from the balcony. Dressed in his finest blue and white silk robes, Setto motioned for the young couple to hurry. "Lets not keep the crowd waiting. The more they wait, the more they get bored and unruly." His eyes settled on the couple. "If you two are having second thoughts we can just announce the feast at the temple and keep the marriage out of the whole thing." 

"No Setto that will not be necessary. Yugioh is right. I should not care what the other villages would think of this marriage. I love him and he loves me. Nothing else should matter and I refuse to let it. I can get through this announcement, especially with my friends and husband to be by my side." Ruia moved from the embrace and took Yugioh's awaiting hand. Taking a breath, she allowed Yugioh to led her out onto the balcony that looked over the town of Memphis. It seemed the whole town had come out to hear their Pharaoh speak. The sight itself was overwhelming. 'Is it always going to be like this? I will have to ask Yugioh about this later.' 

Squeezing Ruia's hand one last time in reassurance, Yugioh stepped closer to the waist high balcony rail. He gazed out at the large gathering before him. 'Please Father Ra, Mother Isis let today's announcement go smoothly. Ruia cannot handle much more stress in her life. If Memphis reacts badly to her as they have done in her youth, I fear what may happen. Her self-confidence has been destroyed by her father, the town, myself, the death of her uncle, and even herself. If today goes well, I know it will aide in her recovery. Sekhmet, you are my lover's guardian from what she had revealed to me. Please let the tone of war stray away from my family, my friends, and my country.' He raised his hand high to silence the crowd below. As they fell silent, he gave once last small smile to Ruia before he began his speech. 

"Citizens of Memphis, neighbors, and fellow countrymen, today is a glorious day for all of Egypt. Not only has we been blessed with a strong harvest, but it appears that all the gods and goddess look down on us in good fortune. I have come before you not to announce a new taxation or to bear up arms. Rather, I stand before you to announce an expansion." Setto stepped forward, holding the crown in his hands. Lifting the crown from his High Priest, Yugioh turned towards Ruia. "Let it be known across Egypt that today I make it known my intention to marry." Gently he placed the crown atop Ruia's head and embraced her. Moving her closer to the railing, for everyone to see, he spoke once more. "Meet my future wife, future Queen of the Nile and all Egypt, Ruia Ana Motou. 

Cheers rang up from the courtyard below. Ruia smiled and let out the breath she did not know she had been holding. Granted, there were looks of disbelief, whispers among the crowed, but that was to be expected. There was no massive revolt, no cries of hostility, and no threats to her family as she thought there might be. She heard cries of 'she is just a commoner' but it did not bother her, as she believed it would. The cries of support were far louder. 'Yugioh's people love and trust him so much that they readily accept me because they do not doubt his choices. I hope in time I will be able to earn such trust and respect as well.' Her eyes glistened with unshed tears. For the first time, in a long time, she truly felt confident about her decisions. For the first time, she felt her doubts melt away. 'This is where I belong.' 

* * *

The temple feast could not be going any better. The temples were decorated with flowers and greens, fruits and foods from exotic lands, but that was not what made it so special. No one had threatened a revolt; no one had tried to harm her or Yugioh. Everyone was genuinely having a good time, filled with eating, drinking, dancing, and laughter. Even she could not help letting her guard down some. The excitement was just too contagious. The siblings could not ruin her night. 

The sun had set long ago, giving way to the moon and stars. The party had not dwindled in the least bit with the fading of the sun. Rather, it seemed to pick up, as if everyone knew that the stars held a special place for the Pharaoh and his Queen. Ruia could not help but smile as she watched Yugioh dance with a young villager. Honda stood off in the shadows, not far from the couple, watching the crowd intently. She was not sure where her guard was. She had not seen Jou anywhere since he had escorted her from the palace. Then again, he was probably right next to her and just could not see him. It was his job after all. She knew Jou would not slack off in his duties. Sure he held a strong sense of humor, but his sense of duty and responsibility was far more dominant. 

"Ah Ruia, I see Ay was quite accurate about your feelings for young Pharaoh. I must admit, I thought your uncle was grasping at wheat, yet here you are, standing tall and looking regal as ever." Achilles gave her a tight hug. "He would have been so proud of you tonight. Maybe he knew more about your relationship with the Pharaoh than he let on. His gift of vision and foresight was extraordinary, but he was always careful not to tell me much. Only enough that if something was to happen to him, I was to come to you and watch over you as he had done. I see now that will not be necessary. 

Ruia blushed and lowered her head. 'I should have known Uncle Ay would have left Achilles with that message. He always took my mother's words to heart. It seems right that he would pass the job to another. Still though, it does not stop the longing in my heart. Ay should still be among us. He was taken to Anubis prematurely. I will find those temple raiders and make them pay for their crimes.' For the second time in a matter of a week, Ruia felt her magic pulsing through her veins. From across the room, Yugioh turned sharply, giving her a panicked glance. Shaking her head no, saying that nothing was a matter, Ruia fought to control her magic. 'Every time I feel strong emotion, anger or fear, my divinity seems to take over. I need to learn to control this, or else everyone will be in danger from my magic. Even Yugioh can sense my lack of discipline.' Ruia let out a small breath. 

"Are you all right Ruia? I did not mean to upset you." 

"I am all right Achilles. It is just difficult to accept that Ay is truly gone." She paused, struggling with the question that plagued at her mind. "How is my father?" 

Achilles blinked, then smiled. 'I did not expect that question to ever come from her mouth. Maybe there is hope of a reunion yet.' He placed a hand to her cheek. "I know you and your father have had a great falling out, and you may not want to believe this, but Sugoroku does miss you. He was here at the temple this afternoon." 

"Here at the temple? My father?" Ruia exclaimed, genuinely shocked. "Why did he come? I blackened our family name. Did he expect Yugioh to embarrass me in front of all Memphis or something?" 

"No child, you have it wrong, so very wrong. He came here to understand, even if he does not want to admit it to himself. He wanted…he wanted to make sure that you were truly happy Ruia. We did not speak much, but the truth was in his eyes. He does miss you, though I doubt he will ever admit that to you. It is not easy for a parent to admit that he was wrong to his child." 

Ruia shook her head. "If only that was true, then maybe I would have an easier time believing your words. But it is too late. The seed of mistrust has been planted. We could never go back to the relationship we had before, as much as it pains me to say so." She smiled sadly. "Not that we had much of a relationship. Father was so desperate to prove he could raise me on his own that he forgot that I did not need a mother/father, just a father." 

"I know child. Ay used to tell him all the time, especially when you were younger. You acted so much like your mother that your father simply could not handle it. Ra, neither could Ay. You were so young when Aristae died. None of us could understand how you picked up your mother's habits, the subtle ones that is. The way she laughed, smiled, her rebellious nature, and most of all…' he trailed off. 

"Most of all what Achilles?" 

"Her voice...Aristae had a natural singing voice as well. That is why Sugoroku hated your singing. It was like hearing your mother all over again. It pained him so much to her your voice and he knew it was wrong to stop you from singing, but it was too hard." 

Ruia felt the crystalline tears prick at the corner of her eyes. Her mother was a singer, just like her. 'All my life I was forbidden to use my gift because I was referred to as a siren, but that does not even hurt as much as it does to find out that my own mother had the very same talent.' 

As if Yugioh sensed her pain, he moved over and wrapped his arms about her slim waist, drawing her close. "Are you okay love?" His eyes did not hide the slight panic, as if he was still waiting for a surprise attack to come. 

She nodded no longer trusting her own voice to convey her feelings. 

"There is one another thing Ruia," Achilles softly said. He handed her a small pouch. "Ay gave this to me shortly before his death. Your mother had asked him to give this to you on your wedding day. I think Aristae would agree, however, that today is a much better time." 

Opening the pouch, Ruia pulled out a circular amulet. It was a precious stone, cool and smooth to the touch, and lapis lazuli in color with specks of silver throughout. "A protection amulet from the night…" 

"Correct, though the silver in there is said to remind the wearer that the moon will always be there to guild you from the dark and back into the light. You were probably too little to remember but your mother never was without this amulet. It has been passed down in her family from daughter to daughter. I know she would have wanted you to have it now, to wear possibly on your wedding day." 

Ruia fingered the stone gently, a gift from her mother. She was barely aware of Yugioh taking the amulet from her and putting it around her neck. "She'll wear it now." He stepped back and looked warmly at her. "It looks perfect on you Ruia, especially since it matches this…" He held up a ring, a large dark blue stone surrounded by smaller purple stones. 

"Yugioh, it is gorgeous…" Ruia whispered breathlessly. 

"The exchange of the ring to a future wife represents immorality of the vows the two will make. I do not need this ring or any other symbol to know that our love will last longer than that. Yet, this ring also represents another aspect of our lives. The ring holds a much deeper and more special meaning." He slipped it onto her finger. "The Nile has always had a special place in both of our young hearts, considering it was the place that we found each other once more. It only seemed right to give you the Ring of the Nile." 

"The Ring of the Nile…" Ruia repeated, staring at the stones that glistened in the moon's rays. She bit her lip softly before speaking again. "It is perfect Yugioh. The words thank you cannot express how much I love this ring or how much I love you for doing this for me." Tears pricked at the corners of her eyes. "It is true what you say. We do not need a ring to tell us that our love is immortal. All I have to do is look into your eyes and I know the truth. We have suffered so much, overcame every obstacle that stood in our way, and have each other to lean on when the moments of self doubt came that I know deep inside my heart that the gods and goddess above have blessed our love for all eternity. We have overlooked our differences and survived. Now everyone knows how much we love one another and nothing shall ever come between us. 

Claps and whistles of support filled the temple, causing the young couple to blush slightly unaware that anyone had been listening to their conversation. "Might as well give them something to really cheer about Yugioh" Ruia spoke, grinning. Pulling him close and quickly leaned in and kissed him roughly on the lips, not caring at the moment what anyone else thought. 

Yugioh smiled at Ruia's spontaneous action. Today was so much more than a wedding engagement. Today was the first step towards acceptance. 'She is still so worried about making people see her for what she really is and not the person she fears people think her to be. But now, I think, things will be better. With each passing moment, she is getting stronger and more confident.' He wrapped his arms around her shoulders and held her close. Nuzzling close to her ear he whispered softly, "In a few months, they will have even more to cheer about." He kissed the nape of her neck. "This celebration needs to end. You do not need to be on your feet for so long. You should be in bed…" His eyes held a small glint to them. 

"Something tells me not for rest either." Ruia mumbled back. "Let me say good night to Ashina and her husband real quickly." She turned and faced Achilles. "Thank you…for everything." 

"It was my honor. It will always be an honor." 

Ruia nodded and moved down the temple steps towards her long time friend. A small smile crossed Yugioh's face as he watched her move away. 

"Protect her Yugioh. You have no idea how important she is to her father, despite their obvious differences. He does genuinely care for her. He just forgot that Ruia has the right to her own life and decisions." 

"You have my word Achilles. I will protect her with my whole heart and soul." Yugioh felt another smile cross his face. 'Ruia and our unborn child that is.' He watched as Ruia laughed and talked to Ashina and her husband, Marc. 'I will make sure that no harm falls onto you Ruia. If anything was to ever happen to you or our child, my world would simply shatter.' "You have my promise Achilles and nothing short of death will cause me to break it." 

Achilles nodded, sensing the sincerity in the Pharaoh's words. "Good night then my Pharaoh. Until we meet again." He smiled and slipped out of the Temple of Isis, heading towards the Temple of Sekhmet in the distance. 

Yugioh watched for a moment before pursing his lips together in deep thought. "Honda." 

Moving out from the shadows, Honda moved forward to stand next to his charge, eyes never wavering from the crowd. "Are you and Ruia ready to call it a night?" 

"Something like that. Besides, she should not be on her feet for so long either." He paused. "Make sure Jou knows that we will be departing soon. I need to find Anzu as well before we take our absence. I have a favor to ask of her." 

Honda nodded. "Jou is actually right behind Ruia as we speak. I will give the signal for the palace as soon as I catch his eye. He is taking his job to protect Ruia extremely seriously, considering you entrusted him with the care of your unborn child as well." 

"You and Jou are two of my most loyal guards and trusted bodyguards. Your father guarded my father in the past and then myself until you came of age. Then you handed pick Jou to be trained to protect the Royal family and taught him how to fully use his talents. No one but you two will ever guard my family." 

"You are too kind Yugioh. Ruia has made you soft all ready. I like that personally." He chuckled before speaking once more. "No honestly, I do thank you. And, Setto and Anzu are on our immediately left." He smirked as Yugioh looked at him in shock. "It is my job to spot people in a large crowd. It is what you pay me to do after all." 

Yugioh shook his head in disbelief. "I know and I am glad you do it so well, considering Ruia's and my past actions." 

"Past, present, and dare I even say future actions?" Honda grinned. "I think Ruia said it best, never a dull moment is it?" He raised his hand and held up three figures and waved. At noticing Yugioh's confused expression, he explained. "Jou knows about wanting to leave." 

"Ah, let my just converse with Anzu quickly and then we can adjourn for the palace." He moved down a set of stairs and over to his High Priest and girlfriend. "Setto, Anzu. Ruia and I are heading back to the palace. You two are not required to come but I would like to ask you a favor first Anzu." 

Anzu pulled at her pink dress and smiled softly. "Anything Yugioh. Anything at all and I will try my best to do it." 

"I want to do something special for Ruia at the procession since we can not follow normal traditions and adjourn from her house seeing as she no longer dwells there. We already decided we would leave from the Nile, our meeting place to be exact, but I want to do something more. And that is where you can help Anzu, if you are willing." 

Anzu looked up at Setto. "He is planning something, should I be concerned?" 

"Very." Setto replied with a straight face. 

"Thought as much. Okay Yugioh, what are you planning? I will help you." 

Yugioh smiled. "I wanted to tell her how I felt, about everything. I know I have told her in the past, but she is still scared about so much. I thought if I told her before the procession maybe it would put her at ease some. But I wanted it to be more special than that. I thought that since she enjoyed music so much that I could expression my feelings in a song, especially since she enjoys writing her own. I would be attempting to share her interests. My only problem is I know what I want to say, but I have no idea how to put it to music I guess. I know you helped Ruia in the past. I was wondering if you could help me now." 

"I rarely helped Ruia with the harmony. She normally had that in her head long before she had the words composed. But I never turn down a challenge either, especially for something as sweet as this. I will come by the palace tomorrow and help you." She smiled. "A song…that will be absolutely perfect for her." 

"That would be fine. You two enjoy the rest of the celebration." With that, Yugioh turned and hurried back up the stairs to where Ruia was now waiting under a statue of Isis. Embracing her tightly, he leaned back against the statue that was holding multiple candles, and together basked in a soft glow, watched the crowd that had come to celebrate. 

* * *

Hidden amongst the shadows outside, a single sole kept watch over the young couple through the cracks of the temple. The figure did not dare enter into the temple and approach the lovers. Now was not the right moment for such a bold move. 'Tonight, I shall let young love flow. Soon enough the time will come where the nights will not be as joyful or relaxed. The figure moved slightly to have a clearer view of Ruia. 

'Such a rare find she is…strong and intelligent, a deadly combination. Yet, she does not seem totally aware of the strength she wields, which will only make my job that much easier.' A smile crept up onto the figure's darken face, twisting in delight, as they watched the couple disappear into the crowd. "Soon everything they have come to know will shatter. They best be prepared…" The figure turned, cloak flapping in an almost silent breeze and headed for the outskirts of town, disappearing into the nighttime sky. 

* * *

"Are you sure this is good enough Anzu?" Yugioh asked in a hushed whisper. In his hands, he clutched a single scroll, a scroll that would forever change his life once he read the contents of it tomorrow. Dressed in some of his finest royal robes, Yugioh placed the scroll between a piece of his black cloth and gold sash. 

"It is perfect Yugioh. It is beyond beautiful even." Anzu whispered back. "The song could not be any better. I swear to you. Now please hurry back to your wing, before Ruia hears or sees you. It is your Henna Night after all. This is one tradition that should not be broken." She raised an eyebrow at him, lecturing him as if for attempting to see his bride the night before the wedding. 

"Since when have Ruia and I ever followed in any of the traditions?" His eyes danced with excitements, like a flame blowing in a crisp wind. "The Henna Night is always celebrated with the groom at his house with his guy friends and the girls at the bride's house, not in the East and West wings of the palace like Ruia and I are doing. Of course, we had too, considering Ruia is living here now, but you know what I am saying." He shrugged, knowing he had made his point. "How is she doing? She is not pushing herself right?" 

"She is not pushing herself. Ashina, Annika, Athena, and I would not let her and you know it. That is why she insisted that we keep the party to a number of close friends and that is it, nothing more and nothing less. Besides, she is hardly on her feet considering they are being washed in the Henna as we speak. But, between you and me, you can still see the excitement in her eyes. She longs for the morning light, just as much as you do if I had to take a guess. You can see each other soon, I promise Khonsu will give way to Ra and the sun. You just need to be a little patient." 

"How do you expect me to be patient when tomorrow I marry the woman of my dreams and start a whole new chapter in my life as husband and soon to be father. Though mostly, I just want to marry her, to see her smiling face, and to know that she is happy, truly happy." Yugioh leaned back against the palace wall, eyes closing briefly. "I have not seen her like this in such a long time Anzu. She was so unhappy and depressed when the others and I found her that day her father made her leave permanently. I never want to see that look in her face or that intense pain in her eyes again. After tomorrow, I hope to ensure that look never crosses her face again." 

Anzu smiled softly. "I am sure all will go as you planned Yugioh. However, we are not going to break the traditions of the Henna Night. Now get going before I call for Setto and Honda to physically move you back to the East wing. Seriously Yugioh, before she does hear you. You know if she does, she will not let you leave her sights." 

"All right, I will make haste my leave." He paused, almost tempted to poke his head inside the room where Ruia was, but the glare from Anzu made him reconsider. As non-traditional as this wedding was turning out to be, she was still right about at least trying to keep some aspects of the wedding traditional. Turning on his heels, he made his way back through the grand palace. 'Less than twelve hours now…and then Ruia and I will be married. 

* * *

Flowers glistened with evening light that blanketed the countryside of Egypt. Villagers continued about their daily routines, unaware that at the temple of Isis, a Pharaoh and his bride were signing their marriage contract before the local priest Paki. Yugioh turned and smiled at Ruia, who shakily scribbled her name on the papyrus. Squeezing her hand softly, he lifted the pointed reed and dipped into the black substance. Delicately, he wrote out his full name, Sa Re Yugioh Atemu, Shepses-ka-re.

"Son of Ra Yugioh Atemu, noble is the Soul of Re." Ruia whispered softly. "You never did tell me you full birth and throne name." She looked up at Paki. "Is there anything more we need to do?" 

Paki shook his head. "You have done everything you need, in full witness of the Goddess Isis and your closest friends Setto, Anzu, Honda, and Jou." He turned the contract to face him and quickly signed his name. "It is done. Allow me to be the first to wish you and happy and blessed marriage." 

Yugioh leaned down and softly kissed Ruia on her lips. "I do believe Paki, that is one wish that will easily come true." He lightly hugged his wife close to him. 'My wife…finally the day has come. Now nothing can ever come between us." His eyes lingered over her hand, especially on the Ring of the Nile. 'Just like that ring, our love shall be an eternal cycle, never to end and never to break.' 

"I should probably head down to the Nile, for it is nearly sun set. I will see you shortly my husband…" Tears were all ready pricking at the corners of Ruia's eyes. 'Never did I expect all my dreams to come true. But this is not a dream. I really did just marry my one true love.' 

"Just make sure to take Jou with you. I do not want you to be walking the streets of Memphis alone right now, especially since it is rapidly becoming darker as we speak." Moving a piece of her hair out of her face, he kissed her once more. "Be careful commoner." 

"Would not dream of being anything but palace brat." Lifting a piece of white robe, she hurried over to Jou, who offered his arm to lead her safely down to their place on the Nile. A wave of uneasiness hit him as he watched the two move swiftly over the stone floor and out onto the warm sand. 'She will be all right with Jou, this I know. Ruia is only going to be out of my sights for a short time. Nothing is going to go wrong in that amount of time. Though, I cannot shake the feeling that we are being watched.' 

"You know, for a man that just married his soul mate, you look utterly frightened. Finally come to the realization that Ruia is going to have control in this marriage?" Setto teased with a huge smirk plastered on face. "So how does it feel knowing that you command this great nation of Egypt, yet can be powerless against your own wife?" 

Yugioh shook his head, allowing the puzzle that his father had given him to repeatedly hit him in the chest. "I wish that is what the look on my face was all about. If it was that, I would be thrilled. However, that is not the case. I cannot shake the feeling that we were, are, being watched." 

The grin on Setto's quickly melted away. "Do you think Jarha and Satire may be lurking about?" 

"I have no idea. Though, part of me believes that if it was they, they never would have let Ruia or I sign the marriage contracts. They would not have given us that satisfaction. They would have attacked us long before we arrived here. Yet…" 

"You cannot shake the feeling. Should Jou be the only guard with Ruia right now?" 

Yugioh hesitated a moment. He wanted to make sure his wife and child were at no risk for harm, but at the same time did not want to spoil their day either with unneeded worry. "No, Jou should suffice. The feeling is not strong, just annoying. If Ruia was in any real danger, I am confident I would know. Though, I think we should head down there earlier than planned, just in case." 

Setto nodded. "Of course. Besides, we are the only people attending the procession anyway, correct?" 

"That is the plan, which means, half the town will find out and be there most likely. For a large as Memphis is on a given evening, news surely does travel fast. But maybe that is a blessing in disguise. If all of those individuals are present, the likelihood of an attack seems minimal. Then again, Jarha and Satire seem to thrive on attention. Maybe they would attack…" 

"Yugioh, you have to stop this. You have to stop playing what ifs and when game. You are going to drive yourself mad if you continue. You cannot let Jarha and Satire dictate your life like this. Yes you have the right to be concerned, but you cannot let it control your everyday life. Be prepared, but still smile and laugh and enjoy life's pleasures, including your wedding day, let myself, Bakura, Jou, and Honda be concerned with the siblings." 

"It is hard not too, especially when it is your own wife and child we are discussing. But I will try to relax, honestly. I do not want to worry Ruia more than she is all ready. It probably would not be in the best interest for her health or the baby's." His eyes lingered to the window. "The sun is beginning to set. We need to head down to Ruia and Jou shortly." 

"Your horse, Nassor, is right outside, groomed and ready to lead Ruia back to the palace. Shall we walk him down or do you chose to ride him instead?" Setto asked as the walked to grayish white steed. Grasping the reigns in his hand, he looked over at his king and long time friend who once again, seemed lost in thought. 'He is so confused at whether to let his guard down and truly enjoy this day or to keep just a little bit of his guard up to ensure that no harm comes to pass this day. Ra, if Yugioh and Ruia are truly your chosen children then I beset you, let them at least enjoy this day with no threat to their very existence. Bless them with your protection and that of your daughter's Sekhmet.' Taking the end of the reigns he lightly hit Yugioh on the shoulder. "I do not think you want to day dream through your wedding party, am I correct?" 

Yugioh blinked in surprise. "My apologies Setto. Yes, let us head down to the Nile. I want, no need to be with her." 

Setto smiled in understanding. "I am sure that most of the invited party has already arrived down there as well. So all that is left is to make sure you arrive to pick up your new wife." 

Turning towards the direction of the Nile, it took all of Yugioh's will power not to take off running towards his love and his future. 

* * *

Ruia stood on the sandy banks of the Nile, unaware that the cool evening breeze had shifted a strand of her hair into her face. Letting out a breath she did not even realize she was holding, she scanned the banks for Yugioh. Any moment now, he would appear and they could complete the wedding procession. Her heart pounded in anticipation. All around her, her closest friends had gathered, joining her in her wait for Yugioh. 'Who would have thought that the pain I am feeling right from being away from Yugioh would be greater than when we were actually part with only a dream of being together.' 

She allowed her eyes to momentarily flicker away from the hillcrest to enjoy the sight of her closest friends, many of whom she called her family. Ashina and her husband stood next to Bakura and Athena, each healer attempting to conceal the fact that they were keeping a close eye on the two pregnant women present. A short ways over Anzu stood on the rocks, waiting for Setto no doubt. She found it ironic that she and Anzu were standing practically in the same location where they both realized they were in love. Achilles was standing next to Paki, deep in conversation about custom or writing. Annika and her family stood near by as well and gave a short wave. Ruia smiled and waved back, trying to hide her impatience. 

"Ruia…" Jou whispered, grasping her shoulder tightly. "More and more villagers are arriving from Memphis. I do not think there is any immediate danger, but nonetheless you may want to keep your eyes, magic out whatever. Just to be on the safe side." His eyes scanned the crowd. "I will stand right here until Yugioh comes." 

"So there is a danger." 

"There is always a danger Ruia, but there are different types of dangers, immediate and cautious danger. Immediate is when the threat is real and you know the threat is real. Cautious is when you know there is a threat and the possibility of an attack. And by marrying Yugioh, you will learn that you are always under a cautious threat. And I do not mean just Satire and Jarha either. Yugioh and his father before him made many enemies, especially with the Greeks. While Jarha and Satire may be the most recent threat, they are far from the only one." He shook his head. "But you do not need to worry about them. That is Honda's and my job to worry about outside, external attacks. It is your wedding day too, you should be enjoying yourself." 

"I would rather live it with the knowledge of being possibly attacked than to live in silence and be caught off guard." Ruia folded her hands behind her back, closed her eyes, and stretched her senses as far as they would let her feel. "I cannot feel any danger but…" 

"But?" 

Her eyes opened and looked up at Yugioh who stood on the hill, white horse still in hand. "Trouble has finally arrived." 

Jou chuckled softly and stepped beside Ruia and then moved off the side as Yugioh lead Nassor and himself down the path towards his wife, embracing her tightly the moment he got close enough. 

Yugioh stared deeply at Ruia, brushing the rouge strand of hair softly off her face. "In all this time, I never had the chance to thank you Ruia Ana for everything you have done and given to me. You made me see that it was all right to feel and express emotions that I had long locked away. Or maybe I should say that you allowed me to find emotions I did not know I even had." He wiped away a single tear from Ruia's eye. "I also know you are still very scared about all of these changes. Most are born into this lifestyle, yet you are willing to face all these new styles head on. Yes, there have been some darker moments, but I beset you, I will always be there." He stopped and blushed suddenly. 

"Yugioh?" Ruia asked softly, voice trembling and fresh tears threatening to overflow. 

"I was not expecting so many people." He replied with a small, sheepish chuckle. "I know we have not done anything traditional yet in this wedding so I figured why start now." He took a breath. "I want to assure you Ruia that no matter what that I love you and will always be here to protect you. So with Anzu's help, I wrote you this." 

_Come stop your crying_  
_It will be all right_  
_Just take my had, hold it tight_  
_I will be here to protect you_  
_From all around you_  
_I will be here_  
_Don't you cry___

_For one so small,_  
_You seem so strong_  
_My arms will hold you_  
_Keep you safe and warm_  
_This bond between us_  
_Can't be broken_  
_I will be here_  
_Don't you cry___

_'Cause you'll be in my heart_  
_Yes, you'll be in my heart_  
_From this day on_  
_Now and forever more_  
_You'll be in my heart_  
_No matter what they say_  
_You'll be in my heart, always___

_Why can't they understand_  
_The way we feel_  
_They just don't trust_  
_What they can't explain_  
_I know we're different but_  
_Deep inside us_  
_We're not that different at all___

_And you'll be in my heart_  
_Yes, you'll be in my heart_  
_From this day on_  
_Now and forever more___

_Don't listen to them_  
_'Cause what do they know_  
_We need each other_  
_To have, to hold_  
_They'll see in time_  
_I know___

_When destiny calls you_  
_You must be strong_  
_I may not be with you_  
_But you've got to hold on_  
_They'll see in time_  
_I know_  
_We'll show them together___

_'Cause you'll be in my heart_  
_Believe me, you'll be in my heart_  
_I'll be there from this day on_  
_Now and forever more___

_Oooo, you'll be in my heart_  
_You'll be here in my heart_  
_No matter what they say_  
_I'll be with you_  
_You'll be here in my heart_  
_I'll be there always___

_Always_  
_I'll be with you_  
_I'll be there for you always_  
_Always and always_  
_Just look over your shoulder_  
_Just look over your shoulder_  
_Just look over your shoulder_  
_I'll be there always_

There was no stopping the tears that streamed down Ruia's face in identical rivers. Her breathing was slow and steady; her gazed fixed on Yugioh's sincere purplish red eyes. It took Ruia several minutes before she trusted her voice enough to speak. "And all this time, I thought I was the composer." She softly kissed him on the lips. "Thank you, my love, once again you have managed to find the words I did not know I even know I needed to hear." 

"The words I spoke are from the heart and so much more. They are my promise and my vow to you that no matter where I am, here or in the afterlife, I will always love you and protect you because I will be right here in your heart. All you have to do is look." He embraced her once more, totally forgetting that his friends, family, and townspeople had come to witness this day and watch as their Pharaoh admitted his greatest weakness. As of that moment, there was no one else in the world but Ruia and he. 

"It is fitting you now. For the longest time I knew you were my soul mate, yet I was too scared to take the risk and wander down that trail. Now I am glad that you finally made me see what I would have been missing, especially today. Fate has once again proven that we are destined to be together. 

"You are speaking in riddles again." 

Ruia smiled. "It is customary in our traditions for the bride to offer her husband to be jewelry and money as a dowry. Unfortunately, I have nothing to offer you like that." 

"Your love is worth far more to me than any precious stone of metal Ruia. I need nothing more than what you have all ready given me." 

"But I wish to do so. And there is only one thing that I can have that I can give you unconditionally." 

'Well it is not what everyone else is thinking.' Yugioh thought with a smile, eyes wandering down to her stomach. "And what is that Ruia?" 

"My unconditional thanks and love." She smiled. "You saved me from more than you think Yugioh. I was so lost in the dark, in despair, and entangled in lies that I had no idea how to get out. Yet, you never wavered in your love for me. You never left my side when I needed you the most. And as I said before, today has proven to me more than ever that we are connected on more than just an emotional level. We both had the same idea." She took a deep breath and glanced up at Anzu who started playing her lyre. 

_For all the times you stood by me_  
_For all the truth you made me see_  
_For all the joy you brought into my life_  
_For all the wrong that you made right_  
_For every dream that you made come true_  
_For all the love I found in you_  
_I'll be forever thankful baby_  
_You're the one that held me up_  
_Never let me fall_  
_You're the one who saw me through, through it all___

_You were my strength when I was weak_  
_You were my voice when I couldn't speak_  
_You were my eyes when I couldn't see_  
_You saw the best there was in me_  
_Lifted me up when I couldn't reach_  
_You gave me faith 'coz you believed_  
_I'm everything I am_  
_Because you loved me___

_You gave me wings and made me fly_  
_You touched my hand I could touch the sky_  
_I lost my faith; you gave it back to me_  
_You said no star was out of reach_  
_You stood by me and I stood tall_  
_I had your love I had it all_  
_I'm grateful for each day you gave me_  
_Maybe I don't know that much_  
_But I know this much is true_  
_I was blessed because I was loved by you___

_You were my strength when I was weak_  
_You were my voice when I couldn't speak_  
_You were my eyes when I couldn't see_  
_You saw the best there was in me_  
_Lifted me up when I couldn't reach_  
_You gave me faith 'coz you believed_  
_I'm everything I am_  
_Because you loved me___

_You were always there for me_  
_The tender wind that carried me_  
_A light in the dark shinning your love into my life_  
_You've been my inspiration_  
_Though all the lies, you were the truth_  
_My world is a better place because of you___

_You were my strength when I was weak_  
_You were my voice when I couldn't speak_  
_You were my eyes when I couldn't see_  
_You saw the best there was in me_  
_Lifted me up when I couldn't reach_  
_You gave me faith 'coz you believed_  
_I'm everything I am_  
_Because you loved me___

_I'm everything I am_  
_Because you loved me…_

Yugioh's eyes had closed long ago. Memories of his and Ruia's times together pounded through his head. Somehow her song had managed to do the impossible. She had managed to take all her darkest moments and place them into a beautiful song of praise and thanks. Memories of her being attacked by Jarha, to seeing her fall into the water, and even seeing her distraught form when she learned of her uncle's death, plagued his mind. He never knew how much Ruia counted on him in those moments. 'My Ra, I did not think it was possible to love her even more, but after that song…it is…' 

"Let's go how Ruia, to our home that is." He smiled and led he over to his steed and helped her up on before climbing up behind her. Wrapping his arms tightly around her as he grabbed the reigns, he chuckled as the townspeople threw green wheat, a sign for fertility. 'If only they knew.' 

Ruia leaned against Yugioh, head resting against his chest in attempt to avoid all the wheat. Though, the action produced another reaction she did not even consider. A small yawn escaped her lips. She did not realize how tired she was. The warmth of his body pressed close to her had created a warm, comforting sensation, lulling her into a light sleep. Her eyes involuntarily started to close. Her hand gripped limply at a section of his robes. 

Yugioh smiled and kissed the top of her head. "Sleep love. We will be at the palace soon enough. Just rest your eyes for now, you will not miss anything important, I promise." 

* * *

Hidden beneath the shade of a large tree, a solitary figure watched. Tears pricked at the figure's eyes as the bride and her groom headed up the hill towards the palace. Resting a hand on the trunk of the tree, the figure bent down and glanced into the Nile. A tired, haggard image appeared back, dull purple eyes nearly unrecognizable, even to their owner. 'She has never been happier, I have no right trying to get back into her life now, even though I feel so much remorse. I have hurt her too deeply to ever have forgiveness. Ruia has the life she so richly deserves. I only wish I had understood then what I just saw now.' 

Sugoroku turned to catch one more glance at his daughter. 'I will not interfere in your life again my child. I do not expect your forgiveness or do I expect you to ever cross into my house again. But as the gods and goddesses as my witness, I will find a way to make up for all the hurt that I caused you. I do not know how or even if there is a way, but I will try to make amends. I see now the smile that is plastered on your face and realize how little I ever saw such a look. May Ra and Isis protect you my daughter and my grandchild.' 

* * *

Ruia stood, leaning against the stonewall of the balcony gazing down at the village below her. The wind caressed her cheek, chilling her slightly but was too distracted to think much of the cold or going back inside to grab a cloak. She knew she should have been asleep next to her husband, yet sleep would not claim her. Exhaustion weighed heavily on her body; the wedding and procession had taken its toll on her and her body. She should have been too tired to be standing outside, rather snuggled against Yugioh in absolute bliss. Yet, she stood outside in an almost blackest night taking comfort from the darkness. 

'What have I gotten myself into this time? I do not know if I can handle this. I am so scared of failing everyone.' She placed a hand gently on her stomach, 'Mostly scared failing you little one. You are defenseless and I have been given the wonderful role of protecting you. But I fear, I may have taken on more than I can actually handle at one time. I an now the Queen of these lands and I have no idea what my duties will entail.' She rubbed her hands over her shoulders as another cool breeze blew by. 

'I just do not want to make someone as unhappy as I was growing up, before Yugioh walked into my life that is. He changed my life and I just want to return the favor to all of Egypt. I am just not sure how or if I can do such a thing. I am experiencing life from a whole new spectrum. Still, I have no idea where I stand. I know Setto, Bakura, Jou, Honda, and Yugioh have so much to teach me and are willing to take as much time as I humanly need. I just can not help but wonder if it is enough.' 

She sighed deeply and gazed upwards at the few stars and the moon. 'It seems to be the darkest of nights, yet the moon continues to cast light down on us. Khonsu, what is your game? The darkness surrounds you, yet you refuse to let it claim your light.' She lifted her hand and allowed it to mingle into the moon's ray, watching her shadow form below. 'Maybe that is what this is all about, light and darkness that is. There is no game, just balance. Without light, there would be no darkness to form. No one would realize they were in the dark without the light. And without the darkness, no one would know they were in eternal light. And maybe I am just wrong about everything. As long as I do not let my fear consume me, I can do this. I can learn how to behave as royalty. I can be a good queen. I just cannot let past experiences with the darkness sway my decisions or me. I will not become a willing or unwilling pawn again. I have to trust myself more and push away any fears that I may have about this situation. I just have to take this one step at a time and pray that I make everyone proud, myself included. The darkness wants me to think I cannot handle this and maybe I cannot, but I am going to try anyway. I am stubborn like that.' 

* * *

Yugioh rolled over, arm reaching out to embrace his wife warmly. At feeling nothing beside him, Yugioh tiredly opened his eyes, surprised at not seeing Ruia beside him. Pushing himself up, he gazed about the bedchamber, noting that she was present anywhere in the room. 'Now where did she get too?' Pushing the covers down, he stood determined to find his bride and ignore the panic that was forming in his stomach. A slight movement out of the corner of his eye made his panic swell, but only briefly. Grabbing a cover of the bed and tossing it around his shoulder, Yugioh silently moved to the breezeway that led out to the balcony. He did not dare open his mouth, rather simply watched his wife as she stared out over Memphis. The moonlight cast a soft glow about the land and gave Ruia the look of a divine being. 

'Of course that is not far from the truth either. She is so scared about all of this. She is leaping into a life most are born into and trained in. I know she believed the words in my vows to her, but I should have known that would not totally quell all her fears.' Moving off the wall, he walked behind her, draping his arms around her, making sure the blanket encased her as well. "You have this habit of enjoying the night, do you not?" 

"I am comforted by the darkness. Maybe I am not a pawn of it no longer, but I still find solace in it. Everything is silent in the darkness, calm even. And while this is all just a cover for what happens during the day, briefly in time, eternal calmness hugs Egypt. This is when I feel most alive Yugioh. Tell me, have you ever truly looked at Egypt?" 

"Of course I know every inch of my land, every job, every temple priest's name." Yugioh replied, though he was not sure that is what Ruia meant at all. 

"Maybe that is the dividing line between royalty and commoners. Class is not the issue rather how we view the world. You see it as a political game. A set of maneuvers you must make in order to ensure life, all life, runs smoothly." 

"And you see it?" 

She paused. "A land blessed by forces unseen by others. Look out there Yugioh. Have you not ever wondered where the knowledge to build the temples and house like that came from? Or why the Nile floods consistently and regularly or where the stars in the sky come from?" She tilted her head up. "Or even wonder why two people, from two very different worlds fell in love and eventually married?" 

He kissed the top of her forehead. "The gods and goddesses gave us all of that. Through their kindness, we have all those gifts and miracles." 

"Exactly, but tell me, does that every cross your mind during the day? Or are you too busy making your next move to see it?" 

"I…" Yugioh stopped. "It crosses my mind, but not in the way you are asking. So I guess I do not." 

"Not many do, myself included. That is why I enjoy the night so much. It reminds me of the simple things. Only this time do you see what Egypt is really like. And that is what worries me. I am not sure if I can think strategically. I was never very good at games." She looked down at her ring. "I am not sure if I will make a very good queen. I do not know what to do or even how to rule people. I am going to mess everything up, I just know it." 

"Is that what has been bothering you? You are worried that if you mess up once, everything will fall apart?" 

Ruia nodded. "Something like that." 

Yugioh laughed. "Oh Ruia…" 

"It is not funny Yugioh!" 

"No, no of course not love. I am just thinking about how cute that was at how afraid you are, all over nothing really." 

"Now I am confused." 

"Look out there Ruia, what do YOU see." 

"A town that we have to make sure runs smoothly." 

Yugioh nodded. "Well that is true, but there is so much more that you just do not see." 

"I do not understand Yugioh." 

Yugioh smiled and started singing. 

_From the mountains on the moon to the mighty delta_  
_From the deserts of the West to the shining sea_  
_Beneath the canopy of stars flows the serpent river_  
_Flowing through my father's land that he left to me___

_From the baker, to the priest, to the candle maker_  
_From the highest to the low in my father's land_  
_We make our offer to the sun 'fore the break of morning_  
_Or else everything we have will just turn to sand_

Ruia watched as the doors to some of the village shops open. The baker came out carrying warm bread and waved to the woman next too who was putting out fruits and fish out to sell. Cross the way, a temple priest came outside and light a few of the candles outside the temple on the walls. 

_I have a lot to ask_  
_I have a lot that I need to say_  
_I have so much do_  
_And all I need is another day___

_From the soldier, to the scribe, to the carpet maker_  
_All the different colored threads in a carpet loom_  
_A woven tapestry of life is our mighty nation_  
_This is the writing on the wall of my father's tomb_

'Everyone has a set job to do and every morning, no matter what they continue to do the same job. That is what is written on the temple wall. Egypt is a great nation because of its people, not because of its royal lines.' Ruia thought, listening to the song. 

_We have a lot to ask_  
_We have a lot that we need to say_  
_We have so much do_  
_And all we need is another day_

_Beneath the desert moon, I call you_  
_beneath the desert moon, I sing_  
_beneath the desert moon, so lonely_  
_I'm just a boy who would be king___

_With just the moon to guide us_  
_We sometimes lose our way_  
_If there's a light inside us_  
_We'll follow it to the brightness of the day___

_Every single blade of grass, every yellow flower_  
_Every ripple on the sea of the blue, blue Nile_  
_Every leaf on every tree, every single creature_  
_From the smallest little bird, to the crocodile___

_We have a lot to ask_  
_We have a lot that we need to say_  
_We have so much do_  
_And all we need is another day___

_Beneath the desert moon, I call you_  
_beneath the desert moon, we sing_  
_beneath the desert moon, we're waiting_  
_Before the coming of the king___

_Beneath the desert moon that's sinking_  
_We see the Eastern sky's on fire_  
_This is where darkness leaves_  
_And shining waters fall_  
_And let the shadows run_  
_And we'll say, "welcome to the sun."_

Ruia watched as the sun broke in the horizon. Below her, the town still hurried about, getting ready for the current day. "I think I understand now Yugioh. Even though I have no idea how to run a country, it does not fully matter. Life is all interconnected. Without the candle maker, the baker would have no light to bake. Without the baker, the town would have no bread to eat. Without the town, we would have no one to rule. And just because I do not know how to rule, it does not mean I will ruin the cycle. The cycle is stronger than that. Seeing the town so alive right now, how everyone works together to help get ready for the new days makes me see the truth. The cycle teaches us, not the other way around." 

"Exactly Ruia. The Nile connects all life. It has the most difficult job, far harder than any of the gods and goddesses roles. It must maintain a constant flood season, irrigation, fish, and even create solitude for lost souls. I am just lucky to have been chosen to watch over these lands and now so have you. No ruler has ever simply ruled. We have all had our training and so will you. There is why we have scribes. So we can learn from our pasts. I am sure your uncle had you read from our collections." 

"Of languages, yes. Of political and militaristic strategies, no. But I guess you cannot know everything. I am sure you and Bakura all ready have it planned to teach me." She watched the sun continue to rise. "I think your father was right Yugioh." 

"Yugioh cocked his head to the side. "About what love?" 

"We should be grateful for each day that we have together as one great nation and even as a family" 

Yugioh smiled, pulled Ruia close to him, resting his chin on top of her head. Watching the sun settle in the morning sky, he looked at everyone scurry about the town as well, unaware that the Pharaoh and Queen were awake and watching. "I am all ready grateful Ruia, more than you will ever know." 

_Put your faith in what you most believe in_  
_Two worlds, one family_  
_Trust your heart_  
_Let fate decide_  
_To guide these lives we see___

**_Anya: and there we have it 53 pages later my hand is cramping up. Hopefully I will have chapter 16 in a reasonable amount of time. Thanks to everyone who took the time to email me to encourage me and make sure I was still alive. You have no idea how much I need to hear all that during this past year._**


	15. Age Fifteen: Divinity Explained, pt One

Disclaimer: I do not own Yugioh or any thing associated with the show or game.

AN: I know, I know. You may hurt me later, I promise.

--------------------------------

"Did we not just have a celebration?" Yugioh asked with a small glint to his eye. He held in his hand a list of expenses it was going to cost Memphis to host the festivals of Maat and Sekhmet. Both goddesses had special ties to Memphis and if Yugioh had to guess, Sekhmet was Ruia's deity guardian. He had noticed in the past couple of weeks the interest his Queen held in the war goddess. Even though she had never come out and admitted it, Yugioh was sure Sekhmet had a connection to Ruia like he had to Ra.

"Your wedding does not count Yugioh and you know it." Setto replied, shaking his head in disbelief. "Not everyone was invited or even knew about it for that matter." He paused. "Unless you really want to upset the government of Egypt with offending the goddess of justice, not to mention the goddess of war, who I may remind you is a member of the local triad here. If that is your plan, then by all means, lets ignore the festivals." Setto leaned over and glanced at the papyrus in Yugioh's hand. "The figures do not seem overly bad, except for that number there. You have a lot of security on hand, more than normal, for the festivals. Then again, your wife is pregnant and threats to your lives have been made, so I guess it does make sense."

Bakura shook his head. "I requested the additional security, Setto. Yes, it is the first major function that requires both the Pharaoh's and the Great Royal Wife's presence and appears to be a golden moment to attack with so many villagers going to be in attendance, but there is more to it than that. Ryou and his possible followers are out there as well. We cannot forget what he did at the Temple of Ptah. Maat represents the building blocks of our nation. Her celebration could provoke another attack. Plus Sekhmet is the second member of the Memphis triad. She could easily be a target too. We are going to need extra guards to watch all the temples on those days, not just to two we are celebrating."

Yugioh leaned back into his throne. As much as he hated to admit it, even to himself, with everything that happened with Ruia, finding Ryou had temporarily slipped his mind. Ruia and his unborn child had become his top priority. But when Bakura had confronted him about the possibility of an attack from Ryou and not Jarha and Satire, Yugioh felt horrible to say the least. In his attempt to protect the love of his life, he had forgotten briefly about his country. 'Maybe now, since all the secrets were finally out, my two worlds can become one. I just pray I will not have to decide between them, ever. Maybe this is why our forefathers created this system of class. Because without the system, it was too difficult too choose. Now you had this system that took away that pain by making the choice improper and wrong. But they were wrong. The pain of ignorance was far worse than the actually choice. I rather put my country first and have her at my side than to have my country and live alone with Jarha having her as his wife. That alone is far, far worse.'

"An attack from Ryou seems questionable though. Would he pick a time where he knows there would be added security and people about? It seems he would be asking to get captured and tried." Setto countered. "Lets not forget the attack at the Temple of Ptah was on an ordinary day and not on a day of celebration. It was when our guard was at its lowest, when we felt invincible. We are past that now."

Bakura shook his head. "It was a warning Setto. The darkness was letting us know it had claimed another pawn. Ryou's attack was a warning, to us, that more destruction, terror, and death were coming. And worst of all, nothing, not even our most sacred temples were safe. There is nothing we can do to prevent the darkness from taking over our loved ones and land. That was the message we were to take from Ryou's attack."

"Is that only part of the message though? Part of me wonders if there was not something more. Why the temple of Ptah? Why not the temple of Ra, the SOLAR god? He is the light, nothing more, nothing less. Why not the temple of Maat, goddess of justice? Why attack Ptah, one of the creator gods, the god of craftsman and artists? The more I rule as Pharaoh, the less I believe in coincidences. There is something much larger at work here. We are only looking at half the picture. The Temple of Ptah is where the High Priest Ay Menes worked. But more importantly, Ay had a special connection to the light. He is Ruia's uncle. Now I am not claiming that Ryou knew anything about Ruia's divinity or even my own. I am not even sure if Ay knew about his niece's abilities, though I am willing to stake my crown that he did. Yet, there is a connection, one no one wants to speak aloud. Bakura spoke of it, but only skimmed the top of it. Ryou was not just telling us that we were not safe, that is only part of his message. There is a deeper message that we missed at the temple. The dark is calling the light out. The war between the light and the darkness is beginning, whether we are ready for it or not. The darkness of the human heart has made the first strike, as it has done for centuries. Now it is time to see how strong the light in the human heart really is. Make no mistake, the attack on Ptah was no random choice, not when it is so closely tied to the Divine Mother, or in simpler terms, the light."

Bakura bit his lip, ignoring the pain. "It would make sense and of course we did not make the connection before because we did not know about Ruia yet. Yes, we knew of her family ties to the Temple of Ptah, but we knew nothing of her magic. Suddenly a random temple attack makes sense. And if what Yugioh said is true about the dark verses the light, then Sekhmet's temple could be the next target very easily."

"Not necessarily." Setto replied, eyes staring at a spot on the ceiling in concentration. He lowered them before speaking. "If Ryou has no idea has no idea of Ruia's and Yugioh's abilities, then the temples are safe. I doubt Ryou is stupid enough to attack another temple, even if he is being controlled by the darker part of his heart or soul. Yes, the darkness is a strong force, but it does not make people overly stupid either. If we did not get the message at the Temple of Ptah, then another attack on a temple would have come. But the attack, the message was loud and clear and we received it. No, we have to be ready for something else, bigger and larger than we have ever seen or experienced here in Egypt. And it will make the deaths at the Temple of Ptah look small and unimportant. If this is truly going to be a battle between good and evil, light and dark, mortals and gods, then we can only expect the death toll to rise. And even worse, this is all an internal threat. We still have many outside enemies and threats to be worried about. Rome is ever concerned about Greece. They have even invited us out in the spring to discuss the matter. But I confess, after that, I do not know much. Jarha was our minister of external affairs, which is another huge problem. He knows all our weaknesses."

"Then there is only a couple things we can do, double the training of troops, strengthen our ties with our allies, and warn them that our minister of external affairs has a vendetta against Egypt and quite possible Egypt's allies. We all have to face a reality here. Jarha would know our ally's weaknesses as well as he knew our own. "I…" he paused. "I would not be surprised if he went to the Greeks for assistance. He and Satire will be looking for help anywhere, including our greatest enemy." Yugioh kneed his knuckles into his hand. 'Even though things have looked favorable these past few weeks, I still do not feel safe putting my guard down. There is too much at risk right now."

"Do you wish for anything else, Pharaoh?" Bakura asked, noticing the thoughtful expression on his king's face. "Do you need anything?"

"Where is Ruia?" Yugioh could sense she was okay; still he did not like how things were progressing in Egypt. Danger had never been so close before, at least not that he could recall. It was as if he was staring into the face of a deadly snake, waiting for the moment it leapt at him to strike him. Only so far, he had avoid being bitten. He was not sure though how much longer he could keep it up. Ruia either.

"I saw her with Athena down in the North Wing. Jou was stationed outside the door watching for anything out of the ordinary. I am sure she is fine Yugioh." Setto replied. "No one would dare to attack her inside the palace walls."

"Oh I am not concerned about that, not fully at least. I just wanted an update on her training. From what we have said today, the possibility of an attack, even a large one, is great. I just want reassurance that she is making progress and will be able to defend herself if something happens. And I do not just mean fighting either, politics too. The voyage to Rome is not that far off. Even if she is allowed to travel at that time, I know Latin will not be second nature to her yet, but even if she knows a little, it will be a great aid to her."

"Setto would you mind terribly if I asked you to get Honda? I am sure he or Joey would be far better at reporting her status in fighting than I would be." Bakura asked. He watched as Setto nodded an affirmative before turning on his heals and headed down the hall. "Your wife, Yugioh, is a fast learner. She says she does not understand everything I have thrown at her, but her instincts are incredibly sharp. It is as if she knows when someone is lying to her or maybe it is more as if she knows a person's true intentions. She has a solid grasp of our customs and beliefs, in our designs and the stars, and in our religion. Ay taught her well there. She is, however, weak on our political customs, military strategies and commands, but to be honest, I expected her to be shaky there. We have been studying hard on our political customs, as well as the Greek and the Roman customs. We have touched on some of the Nubian as well, per your request. She is hesitant on some of the formal arrangements that she is expected to perform from time to time here at the palace, but so are you, so I figured that is something you two could work on together." He held a small smirk on his face.

Yugioh smiled. "Figures she would take after me. But overall, she is progressing…" He trailed off, knowing Bakura would fill in the blanks.

"As best as we could hope for, given the circumstances I guess. Unlike you Yugioh, she likes to study and learn. I have heard the stories from Setto about your lessons with Zemti, Qaa, and Sepi. Though, there is one thing I did notice about Ruia…" he trailed off.

"What is that Bakura?" Yugioh asked, giving his friend a curious and concerned glance.

"She is very critical of what she reads and is told. She does not deny or not believe what she is told, rather questions the rational behind it. Basically she is like a young villager that asks why all the time, simply less annoying. Her questions are sharp and raise excellent points that I am confident when I say that most of our scholars would have problems answering them. Her thought process is unique. I have never seen anything like it. Ruia simply sees things others do not."

"Sort of like her beliefs in traditions, important, but their aims are not always correct. But I sense you have a problem with this?" Yugioh eyed his High Priest. He trusted Bakura and his insight, respected him as well. He just could not help getting cautious when people attack Ruia. 'Stop it,' he commanded himself. 'Bakura is an ally, a trust friend. You cannot keep sorting people as good and bad, second-guessing peoples motives. It is not right.' Yugioh shook his head to clear his thoughts. "What I meant Bakura was why is this thought process particularly dangerous? You must have felt that it was or you would not have brought it to my attention. I did not mean to make it sound as if I did not trust you. It is just difficult to not second guess everything with such a real threat to our lives out there and be so helpless to stop it."

"We will find them, Yugioh, before Satire and Jarha have a chance to harm your family. And it is only natural to second-guess everything and everyone, especially when it concerns your wife. And that is where my concern lies. She is very different Yugioh and she is going to stick out to put it bluntly. The way she thinks, believes, and even acts," he shook her head, "she will become very well known, very quickly. Memphis already knows of her, her previous status, and the stories about her. When the rest of Egypt hears the same news, distinguishing rest threats from the false…" he shrugged. "It will almost be impossible. People will either look at her and see a royal they can relate too or another royal to hate because she is not royal."

"And thus, the line between ally and enemy will become even less clear and more obscure making every supposed threat more real and dangerous, which means, her training becomes that much more necessary and imperative she learns it."

To the right of them, someone cleared his throat. "We may have a slight problem with that Yugioh. Do not worry, Honda is with Athena and your wife." Jou said, walking up to the others. He ran his hand through his messy blonde locks, which seemed to be soaked with some liquid.

"Um, Jou, what is in your hair?"

Jou grinned sheepishly. "Never pick on pregnant women. They fight back evilly." He chuckled. "I am just glad they did not throw the goblet at me, just dumped the water on me."

Bakura bit his lip and tried to suppress a grin. "Do I even want to know what you said to merit such a response?"

"All I said was I finally understood why the hippo represents pregnancies and childbirth in our culture." He shrugged. "I have no idea why they reacted the way they did. Women I tell you. So over emotional." The smirk on his face, however, contradicted his words. He knew exactly what he said.

Yugioh and Bakura looked at one another and simply groaned. "You made a dangerous friend messing with Ruia, Jou." Yugioh said, a small smile gracing his face.

"Friend? Do you not mean enemy?"

Yugioh shook his head. "Oh, no. Ruia enjoys a good challenge. She may not be good at games, bit she is a devious person as you will ever meet. I have learned this much by marrying her."

"Oh afterlife."

Bakura coughed. "Oh a more pressing and serious matter Jou, how is the Great Mother's training going? I am glad you are able to distract her thoughts from her current dilemma, even for a short time. That is something I have not been able to accomplish in all our lessons."

Yugioh sighed and moved over to the window and looked over at Memphis. "The danger is still out there, biding its time. We have to be ready. Tell me Jou, will Ruia be ready?"

Like night turning to day, Jou's humorous expression shifted to a more serious tone. "It is not going as we hoped my Pharaoh. Her magic is very weak, which we simply cannot understand since she is the legendary Divine Mother. Concealing her identity, however, will not be hard if we cannot even find it. But, if she forced today to fight, she would lose. She is simply not strong enough magically to defend herself. Yet, she insists she would be fine if the danger was real. She told Honda and I that she would be able to defend herself if a situation were to arise and be okay. She does not want to take that chance mind you, but she is not as afraid as I thought she would be. She is scared, but her confidence level is rising despite not making real progress."

"Loki. Her confidence comes from him." Yugioh quickly explained to Jou the incident five years ago. "She must be worried, however, about the possible effects her magic could have on the baby. You said her magic was though, how weak are we talking about here?"

"Weak may not have been the best choice in wording. She knows little defensive spells. Ay must have taught her that. The spell she used against Jarha seems defensive in nature, yet we cannot check because she has not been able to reach that level of skill since that day. It appears to Honda and I that she can only reproduce her strongest divinity in the most desperate of situations."

"Do you have any ideas why?" Bakura asked.

"Honda suggested that it could in fact be a lack of confidence or due to the fact she was trained so late in life. It simply takes longer."

"And you?"

"I do not know how to put it in words. It is like when she has a lack of emotion or conscious thought could she wield her divinity or raw power. It is only then is it natural enough for her to control, when she has no control and is simply reacting on her instincts. Regardless, she needs to get passed that and soon. Training her everyday, as long as it is healthy for her, is something we seriously need to consider doing."

Yugioh turned and looked back out over the city. 'Ay might have thought he was protecting his niece by not training her hard so not to call attention, but now I wonder. Did it do more harm than good? I remember my rigorous training. There is no way we can do that with Ruia, especially with her present condition. Not only would she be at risk, but my country and myself as well. Everyone with something to prove could travel here and there is no way we could defend all our borders. We would be spread much to thin.' He thought with a sigh. "What about combat?"

"Surprisingly, she is a little stronger. I would not be shocked to learn that it was her divinity guiding her in some small way. Now, she was not always accurate, but it was enough for Honda and I to notice. It was as if she could sense where an attack was going to come from and block it. If she could just master her divinity," Jou shook his head, "the legends would be true. Nothing, magic wise, could match the powers posed by the divine children."

Bakura tapped a finger to his chin. "What if magic was not an option that is could indeed harm the child? I know this is an answer I must find out, but what would happen then?"

"Then Honda and I would have to move physical training from a need to know priority to a must learn at all costs. Physically we are taking it slower, teaching her fighting techniques and strategies more than hand-to-hand. She is a quick one, wanting to learn everything she can. The scrolls we gave her to read may be able to save her, once she gets a good grasp on the backgrounds. Once she does, then we will move into the actual fighting."

"I want her trained in physical offense and defense the moment she is ready Jou and not a moment later. If we cannot count on her divinity, then we must find another way for her to defend herself." He moved himself back to his most trusted friends. "Also, we need to make sure the troops themselves are ready as well. An attack can commence at a moments notice. We may have to double the intensity of their training as well and be prepared to send notification out to other villages that more troops may be needed." He paused. "I do not care what reason you give them for this, just make sure it is done."

"No problem Yugioh. Honda figured you would be asking us to do this soon and he came up with a plan. You know more about magic than we do, especially when it comes to divinity. Maybe you should take over that aspect of her training. Who better to teach her than her counterpart? Besides, during that time Honda or I could train our army and the other could watch your backs. Surely between meetings and appearances is there time for her training."

The idea was so simple. Yugioh could not believe he did think of it himself. "Maybe that is the problem Jou. The wrong people are training her. You and Honda may have stumbled on something. Light-to-light training may actually repel one another. Lights trained me, but my magic is darker. Maybe she needs to be trained in the same way."

"It is an interesting theory Yugioh, one that reinforces the bond between the divine mother and the divine father. Still, the use of extreme magic worries me. I will have to search the legends and stories of the divine child, see what 'history' tells us." Bakura spoke. "Maybe you should talk to Ruia, Yugioh. See what each of you knows about your gifts. Maybe the answer to one of the greatest riddles of all time is right before us."

"Greatest Riddle?" Jou asked.

Bakura drew his lips into a thin line before answering. "Just how powerful the Divine Family really is?"

--------------------------------

"You do not feel guilty at all, dumping that water on Jou, do you Ruia Ana?" Athena accused with an amused twinkle in her eyes. She sat down on one of the elegantly decorated chairs that were found in the meeting room. Unlike normal meeting rooms, this one held a vast number of scrolls and texts. Bakura had assigned a majority of them to Ruia to read.

"If he calls us hippos again, he will get worse than water." Ruia replied with a small smirk. "I'm not even showing that much yet, unless you really look. I can't wait to see what he pulls when we are both showing. I can do so much worse than water next time too. It just happened to be the most accessible liquid or object for that matter, at the time. I could have thrown the goblet, but I did not think Yugioh would have appreciated that too much." Ruia gazed down at the scroll in front of her. "I was under the impression that the government was a system of hierarchy, complex, yet solid for the success of the country. Yet, according to this scroll, it is corrupt, dangerous, and too complex for the country's survival."

"Power corrupts a man, Ruia. It can change people for the best or sometimes for the worst." She sighed, her thoughts lingering back to Ryou. 'If Ruia only knew that Ryou and I was responsible for her uncle's death, what would happen then? How can I sit here before her and keep such a secret from her? I know Yugioh and the others were waiting for the right moment to tell her, when she was more mentally and emotionally stable. But I am not sure how much longer I can keep this from her.'

Ruia looked up from her reading. "If I did not know any better Athena, I would think you were speaking from experience. What deep dark secret are you hiding from me?" She asked with a laugh. It only took a moment for Ruia to realize Athena was not laughing with her. "Athena? Did I say something wrong?" Ruia didn't miss the panicked look on her face.

"Ruia, I have not been fully honest with you, but you have to understand, the reason was in the best interest of your health and the baby's. My husband or maybe I should say ex-husband since I have not seen him in roughly two months. Anyway he was accused of a horrible crime." She shook her head. "No, I should not say accused. I cannot hope against hope anymore. We know it was my husband. You see he was identified at the scene. One of the witnesses said the accused look liked the High Priest Bakura. You see Ruia, there is only one other person in the world that could be – my husband."

"Bakura has a twin…"Ruia responded, realizing what Athena was alluding too. She was unsure how Athena's husband had anything to do with her. She couldn't recall at the moment if anyone mentioned Bakura having a brother, let alone a twin. Still in the back of her mind, a voice kept telling her this had to do with her Uncle Ay. A voice she was desperately trying to ignore. 'Yet it is the only thing that makes sense and why people would wait to tell me.'

"Yes, at one time, they were inseparable. Now they are as different as the sun and moon. One is light while the other has fallen to the darkness. Bakura knew this day could come. He had visions about it when he was younger. The shadows stayed at bay for so long though. How we were all so naïve and so foolish, I will never know. And finally, the day Bakura feared came. And on that day, everyone's lives in one way or another were drastically changed."

"The attack at the Temple of Ptah," Ruia choked out, tears filling her eyes. "It was your husband, Ryou…he…he killed my uncle!" There was no stopping the crystalline tears that fell, falling onto the scroll, blurring the words. Finally, her uncle's killer had a name, though she never would have believed the murderer would have ties to the palace. 'Does this, is this the true meaning of divinity that there is no such thing as coincidence? Fate is strong, destiny is stronger, but divinity is far more overpowering. Every choice someone makes seems to affect the divine children. The scholars are wrong. We are not children of the gods; rather, we are the children of Egypt. We are Egypt, which is why everything affects us so greatly.'

"Ai Ruia, you are correct. My husband, the father of my children, is the reason why your uncle walks among the souls of the afterlife." She pushed back her lavender locks, for the first time, allowing herself a moment to falter and to break. Seeing Ruia's distraught face, seeing how much pain Ryou had caused, was the last grain of wheat. "Ruia you have to believe me when I say I am sorry for keeping this from you. I just never knew how to tell you. You were so distraught, so lost. If I or anyone would have told you then…'

"I would have lost it completely. I do not blame you Athena for Ryou's actions or why you kept such a painful secret. You too had to come to grips with what transpired. I lost my uncle, but you lost your husband, friend, love, and the person whom you thought you would spend your life with. I cannot hold a grudge when you were in just as much pain, if not more." She stood and moved over to the gold statue of Seshat, the goddess of writing and keeper of royal annals.

"I do not deserve your forgiveness Ruia."

"Athena, enough." Ruia spoke, allowing a bit of the royal command voice Bakura had been teaching her to spill out. She was not trying to out rank the older girl, just trying to get her to stop blaming herself.

A small smile crossed Athena's face. "I told you, you would have no trouble adjusting to royal life. It seems, however, Ryou did. Or maybe that is just simplifying things too much."

"I do not understand."

"Ryou…he…he held a bit of a grudge against the royal family. He never forgave Yugioh's father for taking his twin away from him. They were very close when they were tots and then Bakura came here to Memphis to train. Ryou saw less and less of his twin and the resentment started. It was even worse after his mother and father passed away. Maybe that is how the darkness finally claimed him."

"Taking that seed of resentment and encouraging it to grow until it claimed his whole soul, whole being really. It must have been hard to see your twin go off without you. Bakura must have been ten, am I right?" She watched as Athena nodded. "Such a tender age – an age of adulthood, yet, still not old enough to truly make it on your own without some family and guidance. Ryou must have felt very alone, losing your best friend like that."

"I suppose you are correct. Ryou was always very secretive about his past as well as his feelings about those events. When he did share them, I felt special, connected to him even. I thought he was the one you know. Now, I wonder, was I just a game for the darkness' amusement?"

Ruia moved closer to her friend and clasped her shoulder tightly. "The darkness cannot manipulate love for it does not know love. Ryou loved you Athena or he never would have trusted you with some of his past to begin with. Information like that is valuable for it could lead to his undoing and he knew that. Bakura has taught that you never give out valuable information without getting something equally as important back. You never want someone to have an edge on you or your weakness. If this was the darkness' game, then that information never would have reached your ears."

"But I gave him no type of information back, none that I am aware of. I never told him about the secret passages here in the palace or told him any of the Royal family's secrets I know about, which I thank Ra now that I did not. Maybe he just did not know the rules. No, that cannot be correct either. Ryou managed to carry out the attack on the temple of Ptah, elude the royal guards, and remain hidden all this time. He would have known something trivial like that."

"Athena, you do not understand. You did give Ryou something: a friend, a confident, but more importantly, he found someone he could trust. That is the most important information a person could ever give." Ruia whispered. "You cannot blame yourself for any of this. I do not. And I am sure Yugioh and Bakura do not either."

Athena placed a hand on her stomach. "Still, I have to wonder, if he had only known, what his choice would have been then. Of course, I am assuming he had a choice to begin with."

"We always have a choice. That is the one thing I failed to grasp for so long. The darkness confuses and tricks us, leads us astray, but never can it takes away our right to choose. But it will definitely use every means at its disposal to make us think differently."

"What happened to my little Ruia who was so unsure of herself, timid of the choices she had to one day make, and confront the fear of this new life?"

"She found very good friends who kept telling her she would be okay and that they would be beside her every step of the way. And finally, she started believing it. And more importantly, she is going to return the advice given to her, after all, status is nothing."

Athena looked up at Ruia, tears brimming in her eyes. "Thank you…my friend."

Ruia flashed a grin and slipped back into her chair and smirked. "Do not thank me just yet. You may not want to know me if Jou keeps up with the hippo comments."

--------------------------------

The sight was simply breathtaking. Seventy-five men fighting, sparring, training together, and learning what it was going to take to defeat their enemies. Pushing back her long hair, Satire licked her lips in anticipation. It was only a matter of time before she could extract her revenge on that harlot Ruia and take back what was rightfully hers, namely Yugioh and Egypt. She would enjoy making that wrench suffer. Of course, she had to keep that little plan a secret from her brother. Despite all Ruia had done to them, he still loved her and was convinced Yugioh was to blame, which was simply absurd. Still, she could not hurt her brother. She would have her revenge and hen Jarha could have his way with the girl, just as long as she had Yugioh alone and in bed.

"How are the troops progressing?" Jarha asked, coming up behind his sister.

"They are progressing nicely. We should be able to attack within the next few weeks. I am sure they will be ready by then." The smile on her face grew. "And then, we can have what we both so richly deserve."

"You were always the eager one my dear. We cannot rush our attack for we will only have one chance at it. We must choose our moment carefully and wisely. It is still far too early to mount an attack against Egypt. We need more time to train and gather more troops. The Pharaoh's army is quite large, far larger that what we have here. Small numbers are good for sneak attacks, but we both know that Yugioh and Ruia will be waiting for us."

"Ay, you are correct brother. Still, I long for the day when we take what is rightfully ours. Yet, you are right. There are still so many obstacles in our way." She turned and looked at her brother. "And one of the biggest problems lies with Ruia and her unborn child."

"Yes, her magic was an unexpected surprise, however, quite easy to overcome. Her magic is still very raw, very uncomfortable for her to use. Yes, Yugioh will train her, but we both know it takes years to develop solid magic. They do not have years."

"And the child? Yugioh and Ruia have magic. Their child most certainly will. Granted, linage is not everything. Our parents did not posse magic and we both have the gift. But, their child…"

"We will have to cross that waterway when it comes. But I can assure you this Satire, when I have Ruia as my wife, she will not have her child." Jarha smiled. "I will make sure to erase all memories of Yugioh from her mind and take her somewhere were she can never be found."

"And I will do the same with Yugioh. Rule by his side as Queen and make him forget everything he ever knew about Ruia." Satire closed her eyes and thought of all the wonderful things she would do with Yugioh once that harlot was out of his life. "We need to find this aid you spoke of soon."

"I think I may have already. I have heard rumors that there is a large group of men not far from here who loathe the Royal Family as much as we. But they have had no real leadership for nearly five years. I am sure if we found them, see what we are doing, I am positive they will join our cause."

"How many men are we talking about?"

"The numbers vary but I have not heard a number less than a hundred and fifty."

"But that would triple our numbers practically!" Satire exclaimed, eyes wide. "We must get them on our side."

"I am working on it, do not fret. We have to approach these men with caution. They could easily destroy us, but I believe with no real leadership that is not an option."

"No leadership may be a good thing. We can easily mold them with the rest of our forces. Still, we are assuming they kept up with their training. It may be months before everyone is on the same skill level, if ever."

"Do not be so eager for battle little sister. Timing is everything in this. One rushed move and everything we have worked for and so righteously deserve will be lost forever."

"I know."

"Satire, you must control your temper, you must. We still have much to do and our own training to complete. We are only as strong as our weakest link. Do not be our weakest link" Jarha spoke, a hint of an older brother command in his voice.

"You know I will not…brother," replied Satire who quickly turned and headed down the stairs towards the training men.

"Oh you may fool some people sister but I have known you since your birth. You are a reckless and impatient child. The moment someone tells you, you cannot have something that makes you want it that much more. The moment someone says wait, you jump head on without thinking. No my dear, you may cost us everything and I cannot have that. I will not let you cost me Ruia. I will have her at all costs, even if it means losing my sister."

--------------------------------

"Again Ruia."

Ruia blew a piece of her sweat soaked hair out of her eyes. "You try it while protecting your stomach." She huffed, trying to regain her breath. Timidly, she raised her head to face her instructors. "I am not getting any better at his am I?"

Jou glanced at Honda. "Not as quickly as we hoped, but you do have a knack for predicting attacks, which is something you cannot teach. Still, I do not know why combat techniques cannot stick in your mind. Maybe it is laziness or a mental block but for some reason you still fail to comprehend the importance of footwork. Without good footwork, you have no balance, which means you and your child are dead." Jou lightly scolded.

"I am trying you know." She huffed again. "I'm sorry, I am not mad at you, only myself. I definitely need to get into better shape with his pregnancy is over, start running again or something."

"You can run a pretty good distance without stopping, which is good. How is your swimming?" Honda asked.

Ruia bit her lip. "I can swim, just not very strong at it. I do not like going underwater much," she replied. "I do not know why. I just do not like not seeing what is in front of me, especially if that thing is a crocodile or something just as big, with as many teeth, and is as hungry."

Honda shook his head at her in disbelief. "If you do not risk anything, you risk even more Ruia." He leaned back against the palace wall, taking a moment to enjoy the little bit of shade the wall had to offer.

"Risk more? What?" She blinked, trying to understand what Honda was really trying to tell her. "Translation please. I am way to exhausted to think at the moment."

"How can you not understand? I thought you of all people would understand the meaning of those words, even live by them considering your past actions." He laughed. "The saying is simple. If you do not put everything on the line, you risk everything you sought to protect or gain. To risk everything means you are preparing for anyone or thing. But if you allow yourself to fall prey to fears and insecurities, hide in a blanket of "security," you risk falling to those same fears in the future."

"In other words, you have to be willing to face your fears and risk everything you are capable of than stay away from what scares you and let it beat you subconsciously," she replied.

"Exactly. And just like swimming, you have a fear about being able to defend and fight for your life and your child's. Combat is dangerous and you have every right to be worried. But the best way to get over that worry is to be prepared. Of course, Jou and I may be throwing too much at you at once and it is just overwhelming for you to take in all at once."

"I can do this. I WILL do this."

"We are not doubting that Ruia, just thinking we may be expecting too much of you too quickly. You cannot be expected to understand position four without understanding step one. The most important thing for you to learn now is the footwork. In anytime of combat, one on one, arm to arm, unarmed to unarmed, and especially arm to unarmed, balance and fluid movement in key." Jou explained. "Lets try this again. Honda is going to lunge at you. Your job is just to escape. Do not worry about launching a counter attack just yet."

Ruia looked at Jou. "That is a trick statement my friend. Whenever you make a move, you always put yourself into a position to counter for three reasons: to attack, to defend, or to escape harm." She turned her back on the two guards, allowing Honda the element of surprise. Well that and to smirk in private. She knew she nailed that question.

Jou blinked at Honda. "By Ra, I think she has the teachings down. Should I alert Yugioh to this small miracle? We may have to throw a party in celebration." He ducked in case any random objects came his way.

"Ha, ha Jou. Are we going to do this or what?" She closed her eyes in concentration. Dimly, she could sense to auras, souls, or something behind her. 'He is going to go high and attempt to subdue me around my neck…'

Honda gave a small nod to Jou before sneaking up behind her, preparing to grab her around her shoulders. Before he could even lift his arms, Ruia ducked down low and swung her leg around his body, and remained in her crotched position, awaiting his next move. Only then did he notice that her eyes were closed shut in concentration. Giving a quick nod to Jou, they both silently moved forward, carefully walking across the ground.

"Going for the double team? Fine." Her eyes never opened, yet she managed to avoid Jou's advancement with a simple roll out like Jou had spent days to teach her so not to harm herself or her child.

Honda noted, however, she was slow on the recovery. Again it was taking too much time for her to get back on her feet and into threat position. Together the two moved towards their prey, attempting to catch Ruia in the middle once more. Ruia could sense what they were trying to do, but she could also feel a strain on her body from keeping a tab on both guards. 'I can do this; just remember what you were taught. They have faith in you. You just have to have faith in yourself.' Slowly, she opened her eyes. Jou stood not far from her, which meant Honda had to be the one behind her. Swinging her leg around, she angled herself in order to see both men out of the corner of her eyes. As they moved, she adjusted.

Suddenly, Honda lunged towards her. Startled, Ruia pivoted on her heel – straight back like she had read, only to loose her balance and fall back into Jou's arms. Frustrated, she screamed.

"Relax Ruia, you did well. You just have to find your center. Speed is important, but you cannot go faster than your center of balance." Jou steadied her. "How are you feeling? You look pale."

"Tired. I was able to sense you two again, but once I started to get tired, I no longer had control over my abilities. I lost my focus. I started to sense you less and less. Ra, I have to get that under control and learn a sense of balance or something."

"Ruia, you are two months pregnant. We have been asked to do the impossible. You will get this; you just have to give it more time. It is not going to happen overnight. No matter how much Yugioh or Setto want it too. You have to concentrate on the positives. A mind troubled by doubt cannot focus on the course to victory. You have to believe in your abilities before you put any of this to use." Jou sat down in the sand, leaning up against the palace walls. Grasping Ruia's wrist, he pulled her down next to him. "Take a break girl."

"I would love to, believe me, but the trouble is coming in the form of my husband. Is there seriously no rest for the pregnant?"

Honda glanced over his shoulder and saw Setto and Yugioh approaching. "How does she do that?"

"Lucky." This time, Jou could not avoid the hit.

"Ruia stop beating up your bodyguard. It worries me how easily you can do that." Yugioh said with a laugh. He took a long look at his wife. "Are you all right? You look white."

"Just tired palace brat. These two," she pointed at Jou and Honda, "are pushing me to my utmost limit. I just wish I could live up to their expectations. Then again, at this point I think I would be ecstatic if I just retained some of the knowledge they are trying feverishly to teach me or what I have read independently."

"Something tells me Ruia that once you get over the balance issue, the rest will fall into place." Jou soothed. "You know what you have to do. It is just a matter of learning that building block. Once you have that down, I know there will be no stopping you. And when that time comes, I feel very sorry for my ribs."

Ruia merely smiled.

"Wait, I am confused. You have no balance?" Setto asked, starting at Ruia. "I find that very hard to believe." Shock was written across his face. "That is, actually, quite surprising. Anzu told me that you and she made up dances to your lyrics all the time and danced in some of the towns festivals."

"Well that is true, but I do not understand the reference."

Setto chuckled. "I mean no offence my Queen but you have balance, a dancer's balance. If you can learn complicated and intricate dance movement and gestures, I know you can learn battle steps. It is just a matter of playing to your strengths. Take the formations that Jou and Honda want you to learn and set them to music if you have too. I am sure once you make the movements fun, make it a dance practically, you will pick it right up."

"Setto that may just be the answer. She does not need more studying, but rather a rhythm. And once that rhythm is established, Ruia should be able to do the footwork with ease and eventually second nature to her, which would be the greatest thing she could do." Honda said, looking down at Ruia who was deep in thought.

""Make it a dance huh? Yeah, I think I may be able to come up with something if I try to think about the footwork like that. In a way, it makes perfect sense." She stood and brushed off the sand that clung to her robes. "I sense a lot more practice coming my way. I am going to have to take a look at those scrolls you gave me Jou again. Study them from a musical sense." She glanced at him. "No time like the present. Staying or going?"

"Neither," Yugioh interrupted. "You and I have a date to work on your magical training. Honda and Jou are going to accompany Setto over to the guards and inspect our army and see where they need improvement."

"Oh, wonderful. More torture Ruia sessions." Inwardly, she was grinning, however. She really did enjoy any time she got to spend with Yugioh privately. And now that he was taking over he divinity training, she knew it was only a matter of time before she would live up to her title of being a Divine child. Still, being with Yugioh made the long sessions bearable. "Are practicing here?"

Yugioh shook his head. "No, I think the top of the palace is a better place for us to hold the session I have planned."

"Isn't this a little fast for me? I mean, being up that high and having little control over my powers?"

"Have a little confidence in yourself, your guardian, and Sekhmet commoner. She would not have granted you your gifts if she thought you could not handle it. Besides, what I have planned does not require a lot of magic, not yet at least. Trust me, I would let no harm come to you or our unborn child. Qaa started my training on the roof with this lesson and I am sure I can duplicated it again with you." He winked.

"Why do I not like that look or do not totally believe what he is telling me?" Ruia asked with a sly grin. Taking his hand into her own, she continued. "But, I guess I will just have to try." She leaned against him. "Because I know there is no way I am getting out of this."

"If I did not know any better, I would think you ere going to torture her or something. Who would have thought that one day I would have to protect Ruia from her own husband," Jou chuckled. "Now that would be ironic or something just as great. What a problem. Protect the one I was hired to protect or allow the one who pays me and gives me my job to do as he pleases."

Yugioh snuggled his wife gently. "Do not worry Jou for that is one situation you will never have to worry about. I kind of enjoy having her around."

"So do we," added Setto and Honda simultaneously. "She keeps you in line, Yugioh." Setto continued. "I like seeing you on your toes, sweating, thinking on your feet, and of course most importantly…"

"Taking orders," Honda finished.

"I am the Pharaoh of all Egypt and my word is law. I bow before no one but the great Gods and Goddesses of this land," he replied with mock anger, though the expression on his wife's face quickly made him add, "and of course my wife who could easily hurt me right now."

"Sekhmet straight I could." Ruia patted her husband's hand. "It is okay honey. No one will think less of you for being afraid of a girl. Really. I promise. Now, shall we go practice or talk all day? I know if we do not practice today, somehow you will make this all my fault."

Yugioh nodded and the turned to face Jou and Honda. "You two are to continue practice with the troops with Setto. You three have my full permission to do whatever it takes to have the troops prepared for an all out on slaughter. We also have to be prepared for the possibility of a magical fight too." All three nodded. "Then you know your jobs. If any of you three need anything, Ruia and I will be on the highest roof."

"I remember which one. I met you up there a few times after your lessons with Qaa," Setto replied. "Just be careful you two. Just because we have not heard from Jarha and Satire lately does not mean they are not watching us. You two are going to be in the open and in plain sight. It is a prime opportunity."

"I trust in what Jou and Honda have been teaching me Setto," Ruia said. "With their help, I have been able to increase my abilities, especially with sensing an oncoming attack. I am positive that if the siblings or someone else was watching us, either Yugioh or I would sense it at once."

"And if you are still attacked? How will you call for help?" Jou countered. It was his job to think of these possibilities, even if no one else wanted too.

"Mystic will come."

"Mystic?" Who or what is that?" asked Honda. He tried to recall if he had ever heard that name mentioned or meet anyone with that name. No images came to mind.

"Mystical Elf, she is my guardian and friend. I am not supposed to reveal such information since it pertains to my divinity but I trust all of you, Bakura as well. She is my monster guardian from Armadais."

"I know that name. Is she not one of the monsters from the tablets that the people of Egypt and some of the temple priest play? She is from that game your grandfather locked away, right Yugioh?" Duel Monsters and the Shadow Realm if I am not mistake were the terms," Setto said, rubbing his chin. "Though I could be wrong with the names. It has been some time since I have heard the terms."

"Ai, those were the names," Yugioh replied but replied no further information. He trusted his friends more than life itself, but he wanted to talk to Ruia first about what information he knew about divinity as Bakura and Setto suggested. Once they learned what the other knew and did not know, maybe then the key to divinity would finally be unlocked to them. Then and only then would he feel right telling his friends his and Ruia's destiny. Their questions would be a lot easier to answer once the both of them knew the complete truth and were on the same page.

"Your grandfather locked Mystical away!" Ruia exclaimed.

Yugioh looked down. It was true his grandfather sealed off the Shadow Realm and the monsters. Did that mean he had locked away Mystical Elf and Dark Magician as well? "I do not know love. I never thought about it; I never asked. But if I had to take a guess, I would assume so."

"It seems," Setto began, "that once again, everything is interconnected, wouldn't you all agree?"

Ruia knew all the others still had no idea that she knew about Ryou and his connection to her uncle, unless Athena had mentioned it to them that she had told Ruia the truth. But it seemed they had come to the same conclusion as she had. Everything in their lives seemed connected as if that is what fate and destiny had intended all along. "Ay, it does seem that way Setto. But maybe this explains what the texts referred to as 'the perfect circle.' No matter what choice you make or any person makes for that matter, it will effect everyone in the circle of life and maybe, just maybe, help determine the divine children ultimate fate."

"Well said, Ruia," Setto complimented. "I believe you may have deciphered the meaning of 'perfect circle' correctly as well. And if you are viewing the meaning right, it means that your training is key so you can be prepared for any type of situation."

"I think that is Setto's indirect way of saying this conversation is over and we all have jobs to do," Ruia replied.

Yugioh merely shook his head. "Do give him so much credit Ruia. He is not that creative."

--------------------------------

"So are you ever going to tell me why we are up here?" Ruia asked while looking around. The view from the highest roof was an amazing sight to behold. All of Memphis could easily be seen from this point. At least, that is what it seemed to her. "I know you did not bring me up here just for the view. There has to be something important about it if Qaa brought you up here too."

"I want you to show me what you can do," he replied simply, offering her no other words.

"With my magic you mean? You know the answer to that Yugioh. We both know it is very little."

"Show me, Ruia. Please." He sat down, motioning her to join him. "Sit and just try."

"All right," she moved to sit across from him. Closing her eyes in concentration, she recalled what Ay and Mystical had taught her. Even the words Achilles had told her unknowingly came to mind. Dimly, she glowed a silverish-gold. In her eye's mind, she pictured a small ball of magic in her hand, which she could feel herself creating in real life. It was a tiny ball, hardly impressive to any serious magic user, but it was her ball of magic and she was proud of it. Slowly she opened her eyes and smiled. "It is not very strong, I know, but it took me a while to learn how to make this and maintain its shape and structure."

Yugioh nodded. "Can you make it bigger any?"

"Yes, I think the largest I ever made it was the size of my fist."

'Good, but still anyone with magic can do that. It is almost a parlor trick for users. Still, she is proud and to see her joy makes me happy. I cannot ruin that.' He smiled with her. "Can you aim, levitate, and fire it?"

Ruia nodded, remembering all the target practice Ay had put her through. "My levitation is not very high though. That is definitely something I need to work on. But my aim and successful hit rate is better."

"Okay…so you cannot do this?" Yugioh created his own ball of magic and then a second. Both rose into the air. Soon one came to a complete stop as the second rotated around the first one in an elliptical motion.

"Not even close."

"Then, that is something we will have to work on as well, your control and manipulation of your abilities. I understand that Ay did not want to expose you to strong magic in fear of revealing your heritage to the world, but I fear that may have caused some backlash. We do not have time or luxury on our side right now. We may have to take some small risks, nothing that would harm you or the baby, but enough to get you some control over your magic."

"You are correct of course. I can tell we have a lot of work ahead of us. Still, it is weird Yugioh. I can feel my magic lying dormant in me. But for some reason, I cannot break through that invisible barrier and wield it like I should, which makes no sense. If this is my magic, my barrier, than why cannot break through it? I put it there did I not?" She sighed and moved her magic ball a bit higher and tried to will it around Yugioh's still one too. After several mental attempts, she finally got it to revolve around his, though quite slow for her liking. "Half a victory is better than failing I guess."

"Give yourself some credit love. A moment ago, you could not levitate your magic as high as it is now or cause it to spin. I believe you do have the ability to control your magic inside of you and break that mental barrier. But I would bet all of Egypt it was placed there for your protection. If that barrier were broken too soon, your magic would have become dangerous to you and others as well. There is something preventing you from having complete and total control and I do not mean the barrier. Maybe it is a fear or maybe it isn't. But whatever it is Ruia, we will figure it out together." He paused. "Tell me, what did you do differently this time? How did you get the magic to spin?"

Ruia bit her lip in thought. 'I honestly have no idea what I did differently. I thought about it and did it. It was as if I suddenly knew I could do it that I had the knowledge to do it. But that does not make any sense, not completely. There is another factor at work here.' She looked at her husband, deep in thought. A horrible thought crossed her mind. 'Could it be his divinity? Is he influencing my own powers? Or could he even be controlling them?' "Are you doing this with me? Are you manipulating my abilities with your own magic in some way?" She asked, totally forgetting to answer his question.

"No, but the thought did cross my mind. However, I would never use my divinity on you, unless it was an absolute emergency mind you and there was no other way." He placed a hand on her shoulder. "I assure you, you are doing this on your complete free will and with your own abilities." He lowered his hand. "Now, what else is different?"

She looked around. "We the most obvious thing that comes to mind is location. I used to train in the Temple of Sekhmet in the lower rooms and sometimes in the main chambers. Of course, the main chambers were rare since people could easily walk in. So basically I was taught in the room where I was educated. But now, we are outside, in open spaces, and there is so much light." Ruia paused as another thought occurred to her. "You know, I dislike heights, hate them actually, but I love the view heights allow you to see. My dislike is more of the falling from those said heights I guess."

"I think Ruia, you may have just stumbled onto the answer and I do not think you realize it." At her bewildered expression, he continued. "I do not mean your fear of falling from heights or heights in general, but what you said right before that, about the open spaces. You feel more free up here, do you not?"

"Sure, I guess so, but I do not understand what that has to do with anything."

"All your life Ruia, you were taught whether conscious or subconsciously to hide your gifts to protect yourself and your family. But I think you may have taken that notion one step too far. You were so scared of being found, you managed to hide your full powers from yourself. This is why that wall is in place. You created it out of your fear, fear of what your gifts were and could do."

"So what you are saying is that if I conquer the fear than the mental block would cease to exist?"

"In the most simplest of words, yes. There is probably more to it than simply just this fear, but it is probably the biggest obstacle for you." Yugioh replied, smiling.

"And this makes you happy because…?"

"Don't you see it Ruia? All this time you thought you were incapable of learning magic, unworthy of your title, and all it really was, is a lack of confidence in yourself. It may not happen right away, but once you get over your doubt, learning magic will be so much easier." He paused. "And the reason this makes me happy is because I have all the confidence in the world in you. I know you can do this. Our job just got a lot simpler."

"Really?"

He wrapped his arms around her shoulders. "Honestly love. You have such charisma, a strong and unbreakable will, and intelligence that would make a Greek scholar green with envy. Tearing down this wall will be no problem, I promise. Now, why do we not try something else now?"

Ruia wiped away a tear that had caught in her eye. "All right what do you suggest we do?"

"First I want you to relax, close your eyes if you have too. Then I want you to simply find your center."

"Center? Center of what?"

"Just trust me. You will know when you find it. You will sense it."

She simply nodded as she closed her eyes and slowly breathed in and out. Trying to remain relaxed, but a still a little nervous at what she was doing and looking for, she concentrated on finding this center. 'I wish I knew what I was looking for. Well the only way to find something is to basically stop looking for it.'

"Think Ruia. What is your happiest memory? That is where your center lays. Where you feel safe, warm, content, and protected. In that memory is where your center lives." Yugioh whispered into her ear.

'My happiest memory,' she thought, 'well that is easy to recall. It is the moment I met you again on the banks of the Nile. I finally found my soul mate again. I found the one person who loved me for me, who did not try to change me or tell me what a disgrace to the city I was.' Smiling, she recalled the memory and the night under the stars. It was there she could feel it. A surreal, calm washed over her. It was as if she could feel her divinity flow through her, encouraging her to remember the feeling so she could bring it to the people of Egypt. Opening her eyes, Ruia took a deep breath. "Lets do this Yugioh. Show me how to tear down this mental block." Her purple eyes were alit with the knowledge of those divine children that had come before her. "I'm ready to learn."

"First things first Ruia," Yugioh spoke. "We need to discover what your realm of influence is. We know you are a light and from your encounter with Jarha and Satire. And if we had to guess your realm is most likely the soul since your attack had that realm in it. But we need to make sure that it was no fluke and Mystic was not helping you in any way. Do you feel anything now? A twinge in magic in your veins perhaps?"

Ruia nodded. "I can feel it flowing through my body. In a way, it tickles, but in a good way. I can sense my center and you are right, it is soothing and calm. And I think I know how to test if I can control the realm of the souls. Tell me about yourself. Things I do not know that is. Just lie sometimes though. Try to confuse me. I will be able to tell when you are truthful and when you are trying to deceive me." She responded, vaguely answering her husband's questions. Her eyes were closed again, deep in thought and concentration.

'Could she be a reader after all? Bakura believed she could be one. Yet, it does not seem possible for a person to know truth from lies so easily, even with divinity on their side. Let us test this theory some.' Yugioh thought a moment, trying to recall what Ruia knew about him and what she did not. "Setto and I are related."

"Truth." Ruia replied without any hesitation in her voice at all. Her purple eyes snapped open. "How?" She knew she was right, but even as the words left her, she wondered how Yugioh and Setto had managed to keep that a secret and from public knowledge.

"We are first cousins. Our fathers were brothers. It was kept from the public though, for our own protection. Most people in the palace know. I am surprised you never guessed. I mean we do look exactly alike and all" He rolled his eyes before continuing. "My mother was a Nubian."

"False, she was from Thebes."

"Right again Ruia, on both accounts. My divine guardian is Ra and monster guardian is Kuriboh"

"You were blessed by Ra with your divinity, but your monster guardian is the Dark Magician. You are a dark magic user whose realm I believe is...I have no idea actually."

"How are you doing this love? Visionaries and even readers are not this skilled, not this right all the time. But you are right every single time and are telling me why my information is wrong." He had one more statement, a secret no one in the palace knew even. If Ruia knew this, her magic would be as every bit as strong as his. "My grandfather sealed away the Shadow Games with the Seven Millennium items."

"Truth, they were the puzzle, eye, necklace, key, scales, ring, and rod."

His eyes had to be huge. Sure most people knew his grandfather had sealed away the games, but few knew the role of seven items or knew all of them, not his knowledge at least.

"And to answer your initial questions I have always been able to sense when a person was not honest with me. I was never completely accurate, but I could normally tell what their intentions were. All this time I just assumed it was luck, but now, I think it is more. I know what causes it. My realm of influence is the soul Yugioh. Just now, when you were asking me all those questions, I was not just guessing at the answers. I was peering into your soul for the correct answers. And when you lied, your soul was different; its vibe was altered somehow and I could sense that alteration. It is like a soul that tells no lie is white and pure. But a soul that lies, it turns black. And I could sense when the soul turned the different shade or remained the same. Do you know what this means Yugioh? I am a soul reader."

Even with all his training, Yugioh could not feign the shock on his face. 'She admits it so easily.' A smirk crossed his face. 'Being a soul reader will be a valuable gift indeed, especially if we go to Rome together. Still, if she was born with this gift of being able to read souls…' He looked at her. "Ruia is this how you knew about Loki that night he attacked the palace when we were ten?"

"Loki…" she trailed off. "Oh, yeah I guess so. I never knew him or anything about him previously. It was just like the moment he came through the door, his soul was screaming his name. But it was not completely my soul reading abilities. There was more to it. I had a bad feeling prior to even going to the palace and then through the party. My divinity was painful that night. It was warning me almost, telling me not to let my guard down." She blinked. "Stop that."

"You actually felt that?"

"Yes! Now tell me what in the name of Ra you did!"

Yugioh could tell she was not really mad with him or even annoyed. If anything, she was curious. "I did not even think it would work to be honest. I just tried to extend my mind to see if I could connect with you but not actually be controlling you. Instead, I think I may have hurt you. I should have told you what I was doing. I am sorry."

"It did not hurt, so do not worry. It only caught me off guard. I am not sure how to explain it. There was no pain, it was more of a gently nudge, like when you are trying to get someone's attention without being seen or being obvious. If I had known it was coming, I think it would not have bothered me at all. Why were you attempting it anyway?" It was the first time Ruia could recall seeing Yugioh blushing that red, not to mention refusing to look her in the eyes. "Oh come on, now you really have to tell me."

"I wanted to see just how strong our bond was. You have the ability to physically see and touch my soul and not harm me. I wanted to see if I could do the same, only with our minds. I figured it was a long shot since my powers are darker. But now I see I was wrong. Our bond, Ruia, is so much more than magic; it is solid proof of how much we love each other. I never really thought I could reach out magically like that too you. And I realize it just was not magic, but love too."

"You are such a romantic, no matter what your High Priests think. I can read anyone's soul but yours is different."

"How so?"

"Surely you felt it when you touched my mind. Our souls are the same; our minds are probably similar too. This is our strength as the Divine Children, but more importantly this is the strength of our love." She took off her ring and held up. "The completed circle is one of Egypt's founding principles and it is the same for divinity. A soul, a mind, a life split into two. A piece given to the Divine Father and the second given to the Divine Mother in hopes that they can find another and complete the soul, mind, and life once more."

"You maybe right. And it is going to be that bond, love, and strength that will help you learn your magic. We know your realm, we know you have the magic in you, so all that is left to do is to get you over your mental block." He stood up and pulled Ruia to her feet. "You know the footwork Jou and Honda are teaching you?" She nodded. "Lets practice it, only with a little magic. I will be your target."

"What if I hurt you?"

"Somehow I doubt we will see your full range of abilities right away. I do not think your subconscious is going to say to hurt me or kill me. I know you have more control than that. NO, I am completely positive."

"True," she paused and reached into the pouch that she wore on her waist. Pulling out a small card, she handed it to her husband. "We better make this a test of my abilities and my abilities only." She took a breath, trying to clear her mind. Being outside was a totally different experience in training than she was used to. The air whipped around her arms and the sun beat down on her shoulders. It was if she could sense every fiber that made Egypt so great. It was as if she could sense Egypt's own soul. And it…was exhilarating in a way. 'Maybe a light needed to see the light…'

Yugioh glanced down at the card in his hand and instantly recognized the monster that was on it. "I am assuming this is the Mystical Elf. If I am not mistaken, she is a magician, a spell caster."

"Ai she is all of that and my guardian as I said before. You have one too, right?"

"Yes, the Dark Magician." He pulled out his own guardian card. "Both are spell casters and magicians. I am sure that is not a coincidence." He placed both cards into his own pouch. "I will throw attacks at you, away from you of course to test your footwork. But I want you to try summoning your magic and retaliate against me. Defend yourself."

"Will that not give away what we are doing up here?"

"Sepi and Qaa would bring me up here all the time to train. I am sure we are safe."

"Loki found out about you…"

Yugioh paused. His wife was sharp and quick to pick up on connections others would have shrugged off. Of course, there were times she was almost too sharp for her own good. He too had often wondered if it was on this very roof top Loki had learned he was divinity. "Loki may have learned of my gifts this way, but he is dead Ruia. Father saw to that. You have nothing to be scared of."

"We have plenty to be scared of Yugioh. You eliminated one man who opposed you. One man out of how many love? Egypt is not impregnable, infallible, or even peaceful all the time. We have many enemies, both externally and internally. Can you look me in the eye and tell me you have caught all those who were loyal to Loki or his cause? Can you assure me Jarha did not know Sepi brought you up here to train magically?"

"Jarha does not know I am the Divine Father."

"Yet," Ruia sighed. "People talk Yugioh. Walls have ears and can whisper. You, Bakura, and Setto have all taught me that. But what you three fail to grasp is just how valuable information is to commoners. **My** people are far bigger threat than Greece or Rome is with the same information."

He did not miss the emphasis on the word my. Divisions were always going to separate people, but Yugioh knew that was not what Ruia was trying to say to him, not completely at least. "Knowledge is power in anyone's hands. We understand that. It is how you use that power that makes a person a threat or not."

"And who is a better threat than your own people? The ones that know your strengths, your weaknesses, habits, customs, and secrets better because they live them day in and day out? Our people, Yugioh, talk. Loki would have been no different. He would have told his most trusted followers your secrets. And those secrets would have filter down between the classes. Classes that are at odds with one another because of the differences that exist and they have created. Commoners hate royalty because they control our lives, our money, and ultimately our destiny. Royalty treat the peasants harshly, like slaves at times. Granted this is not everyone, but it happens to enough people to cause problems; problems that we as Pharaoh and Great Wife will have to deal with. And do not tell me these problems do not exist. I know they do. I lived as a commoner, granted one with some money, but I have to seen how your people have lived because I did the same.

'She is going to prove to be a valuable political asset yet.' He was beaming; he could feel it on his face. Ruia understood how the world worked better than most people gave her credit for. She may have been untraditional in every sense, but it was through that characteristic that she saw the problems Egypt had and questioned why those problems still existed. And she was determined to find a way to fix them. 'Given time, I know she will win over the people of Egypt. They will see past her past and accept her once they see she is truly working for them.' Still, now was not the time to be thinking of such matters. He had to relieve her current fears first. "No attack has come Ruia because there is no leadership or numbers. But you are right, the moment the opportunity arises, Egypt will be in trouble, which is why we are taking the time to prepare our troops."

Ruia shook her head. "What do you mean when it arises? It has already risen. Who better to lead a rebellion than the Pharaoh's ex-High Priest of Foreign affairs? All the factors and ingredients are there, whether we are ready or not."

Yugioh rocked back on his heels. What Bakura had told him was becoming crystal clear. Ruia was a fast learner. 'No wonder I love her, she thinks several steps ahead and looks at the bigger picture, without losing sight of the details. Meanwhile, the rest of us are concentrating mainly on the details and missing what could be occurring on a larger scale.' She shook his head. "You amaze me sometimes Ruia. I still cannot believe you said you would never adjust to this lifestyle. You may be a better leader than you think. I think you might be better than me. You are not scared to look at the bigger picture."

"You are the Pharaoh. You have to take care of the immediate threats, external struggles, and internal problems the people have. You cannot do everything on your own. As the Great Wife, I will look at the large picture and make sure we are not missing anything. And as the Divine Children, we will take care of the threats together." She exhaled. "Even if it means exposing my secret. Walls talk regardless. It is bound to come out anyway. It is better to be prepared than to act like the threat to our family is never coming."

"Then we shall practice, every chance we get, to help you with your magic."

Ruia smile and crouched down into a defensive position. "The lets do this Yugioh. And if Loki, his followers, or the siblings want to attack, well then, we will be ready."

--------------------------------

Satire walked among the troops that were training. Slowly, they were getting stronger. As much as she hated to admit it, however, her brother was right. They were still months away from being ready to overthrow Yugioh's troops and guards. Still, the group that had arrived today would greatly improve their chances of success. Jarha had been correct about the men who lacked leadership but despised the Royal Family. In fact, her brother was negotiating an alliance as she kept a close eye on the troops she heard about and convinced to train with them.

"Sister!"

Satire turned and saw her brother and another man, much older than she or Jarha, approach. The man, despite his age, was quite muscular, eyes sharp, and hands rough and worn as if they had fought in many battles. "Jarha, my brother, how may I assist you and our ally I hope?"

The man smiled. "And you are confident we are allies how Ms. Satire?"

"Anyone who opposes the Royal family is a friend and ally, whether they choose to fight with us or not. Even if our reasons are different and may vary, our goal is ultimately the same."

"You are right Jarha. Your sister does speak with wisdom beyond her years. Maybe this alliance will work after all."

Jarha smiled. "You will not regret your decision Marcus. Satire, this is Marcus, Second in command of the Troops of Alcaeus. He has offered his services to our cause."

"Wonderful brother." She turned to Marcus. "Troops of Alcaeus? I have never heard of Alcaeus before."

"It is not a city my dear. Troops of Alcaeus mean troops of strength." His smile twisted slightly. "It was chosen by our late leader, Loki."

"Loki? You were the ones that raid the palace the day of the Prince's coming of age party! How dare you try to kill my future husband!"

Marcus chuckled. "My dear, your brother has made it quite clear your intentions concerning the Pharaoh. We will not kill him or harm his harlot. The terms of the alliance have been set. Do not worry about a thing."

"I do not understand. What are the terms if you cannot fulfill the wishes of Loki? Would you not be going against your previous leader's wishes?"

"The terms of the alliance have been set, without compromising either sides objectives. Loki believed that when an opportunity arose to strike the Khu Dynasty that we should take it. Your brother has presented us with such a moment."

"Without killing the Pharaoh?"

Marcus smiled again. "Of course, he will be left for you to take care of. But tell me child, after this raid, do you honestly believe he will want to have anything to do with you? Do you honestly believe he will take you as his wife after separating him from his beloved Queen?"

"My black magic will take care of that particular problem ally Marcus." Her voice was cold and calm allowing herself to tip her hand slightly. It never hurt to let your allies know she was not to be taken lightly. She was having a difficult time believing what her brother and Marcus were telling her. 'It is unlikely that my brother would be able to change your motives and initially your motives were to kill the Pharaoh and the Prince. What plans do the Troops of Alcaeus really have? Or even my brother for that matter? Still, I do not dare voice my concerns, not without proof. But letting them know about my magic, it may force them to think twice about crossing me.'

"I see," Marcus replied. He could not tell if Satire had fully bought his answers, not that it mattered much. Jarha was calling the shots, even if they were against his sister's own wishes. 'Your brother has other plans dear Satire. Plans you have no idea about and never will until it is too late to do anything about them. And I must say, it is those plans that fit my needs and my troops needs that much better.'

"Sister, Marcus told me why Loki was so determined on the destroying the future Pharaoh, as proof of his alliance to us. Information I must say explains so much about the Pharaoh's actions, including why a certain commoner is sitting on the throne as Queen of these lands."

Satire licked her lips. "Now this is a story I must hear. Does the raid on the palace all those years ago have to do with our current palace harlot, I mean Queen as well? There is not too much time between the party and her questionable marriage to Yugioh."

"Ay, she appears to have a role in it, thought the story really does not begin with the raid, rather dynasties ago. Tell me, have you heard of the Divine Children?"

"Of course, you know our mother told us that myth as a bedtime story growing up. They were children who were given the powers of the gods and goddesses. Some considered them the gods and goddesses mortal children. But it is just a legend, to give hope to the people of Egypt during darker times."

Marcus shook his head no. "Loki was convinced that the myth held some elements of truth to it. Furthermore, he was positive that the crowned prince was one of the chosen children, the Divine Father to be exact. He even managed to turn up some proof to back up his claims. In his youth, Yugioh was apparently but through rigorous magical training, more so than normal magical user are put through. Loki believed this showed that the legend of the Divine Children was true and coming to pass before his very eyes. And since the chosen one was the child of his most hated enemy, he had to die. So he devised a plan, enlisted my help and the others, and chose the party as the night to attack. But you must understand something; the raid was not solely about the Divine Father. He wanted the both of them, the Divine Father and the Divine Mother. Their combine power would stop anyone in his or her tracks. Ruin all the plans he had been working on for years. Loki learned that it was possible that if one of the children were in danger, the other would sense it. They lived for one another according to the legends. And they would gladly die for the other as well."

"So the night of the raid, the Divine Mother was there?"

"Yes. She attacked one our archers, allowing him to fall from a great height but prevent his death with her magic as well. I was that archer. I was able to escape from the palace prison before I was put to death. It is dad news for the Divine Mother, however. You see, I never forgot that girl's face, even beneath the mask she wore. She had the most distinctive eyes," he spat. "It is the same eyes as the current Great Wife of Egypt. I will bet all the gold in Egypt she is the Divine Mother. She was destined to marry Yugioh or so the tales say. That is why a commoner and royalty had a chance to marry."

"And that explains the magic she showed us…"Satire said, thinking out loud. "She's a soul being. Her realm is the soul. Remember the name of her attack brother - Soul Mystification. She shares my realm, but unlike me, she is a light or white user."

"We believe so as well," Jarha concluded. "It definitely puts a delay on things. If they are truly the legendary Divine Children, we must alter our attack plans some. We cannot afford to ignore this startling revelation. Though, they have lost their trump card and they do not even know it yet. Let us make sure we have our own in place and do not rush this."

"What do you suggest brother?"

Jarha placed an arm on his sister's shoulder. "Vengeance sister, but in due time. Not even the pyramids were built in a single day. We must proceed carefully and with caution so not have the foundations we put into place crumble around us. Only when the troops of strength are in place and ready will we be able to attack. Until then, we will gather information for it is the key to all our wishes and desires."

"Learn Ruia's and Yugioh's weaknesses and their suffering will be prolonged that much more. It would be a fate worse than death for them. They may be each other's greatest weakness, but I assure you, they must have more. And the more that they have, the more you can exploit and hurt them for hurting you," Marcus added.

"We will have many opportunities to learn that information, events that will put us in the perfect position without any chance of being caught. Several festivals are coming up that will require the presence of both the Pharaoh and the Queen. We can easily send people there."

"No brother, we should be the ones, despite the risks. We know what is valuable and what is not. Besides, despite alliances, whom can we really trust with such an important mission? It would be safer and wiser for us to uncover the information." She gave a look of distrust towards Marcus, but quickly covered it. "Of course you are more than welcome to attend Marcus."

"I fall into that trust category?"

"Of course not, but it would also be stupid to not exploit your obvious talents, knowledge, and resources as well. Despite letting my brother call the shots, I do not see you completely giving up the leadership roll. It does not seem like your style."

"Your sister is a sharp woman Jarha. Either she has very good instincts or someone has taught her the art of tactics. You are right Satire; you should never give anyone your full trust. Always keep your guard up around your enemies, but especially around your allies."

"Is that warning," asked Jarha

Marcus laughed. "Just advice from an old man who has been in your position many times in the past."

"Advice heeded. But know this Marcus, I do not trust anyone fully but my brother."

'Ah dear Satire," thought Marcus. 'You may be intelligent but you really have no idea who your allies are and who is a snake waiting to strike. You should tread carefully around your brother. Jarha will sell you out for Ruia in a heartbeat…'

--------------------------------

Yugioh sat on the roof watching Ruia practice her magic on a stationary object. He quickly learned that moving object were still a bit advanced for her, her timing slightly off. Until she mastered creating her magic faster, it was better to practice on objects that did not move. Her movements were still rigid in summoning her magic, but yet they still held a certain amount of grace to them. Her magic was…well there was not a word for it. It would take time, more time than they actually had, to perfect everything. Right now, he would settle for having her comfortable with her given gifts. Still, he was proud of her resolve, determination, and work ethnic. 'Qaa and Sepi would have been thrilled to have a student like her. A student that actually enjoys learning.'

Standing, he walked over to where Ruia was and moved behind her. Pulling her back against him, he started doing the movements with her, showing her the correct footwork. "Fluid, yet graceful that is the key to this footwork," he whispered. Extending their right arm out, he turned her palm out. "Confidence, determination, strength of the mind and will is what controls the flow of your magic."

"And knowing when to use that magic allows our divinity to be used, right?" Ruia could feel the heat on her cheeks. She was blushing at their close contact; she knew she had to be. Why she was doing that, she could not explain. When Yugioh was close to her, her divinity seemed easier, more controllable. 'Maybe that is the scrolls meant by soul mates. Maybe our gifts of light and dark react together, making them stronger, which in a way makes sense. All the scrolls did say the Divine Children were stronger when they were together and working as a team.' She spoke again. "I keep telling myself now to think of this footwork as a dance, like Setto suggested. But I can tell I am still not as balanced as I should be."

Yugioh fought a smile as he pivoted backwards with her. "Patience Ruia. Yes time is limited and teachings must be rushed, but you cannot expect everything to happen overnight. To rush causes mistakes, mistakes we cannot afford. We must hurry, but hurry with caution. We must make sure you have the basics before the final test, just like Honda and Jou were saying. And we will tear down any obstacle in your way."

"You mean my fear…"

"Power without knowledge can lead to great destruction," Yugioh whispered, recalling what Dark Magician had told him once. It had been a long time ago, but the words still rung true even today.

Ruia paused, allowing the words to sink in. "The phrase, it does make a lot of sense. If you have no knowledge of what you are doing, like divinity, then how can you not cause harm? Maybe not to others, just internally to yourself. Instincts can only take you so far. At some point, you have to have an understanding of what you are doing. If not, how can you learn?"

Yugioh turned Ruia so that she was facing him. "Maybe it is time that we both stop assuming we know what the other does about divinity. It seems you have a grasp on the meaning, while I have a grasp on the practicality. Maybe we should…" he laughed, "Compare and take notes on what the other knows. Ra, if Qaa, Sepi and Zemti could hear me now. They would probably die of shock." He shook his head in disbelief.

"Whatever happened to your father's advisors? I thought for sure they would stay around and lend their knowledge to you, especially since you took over so young."

"They did for a short while but they did not want to stay too long and I guess, spoil us. They wanted us to learn, lead, and make mistakes too. Qaa moved to the banks of the Nile a while back and I would occasionally get reports from him time to time. He settled down in Heliospolis two summers ago. He pasted away this past summer. Sepi ventured up to Kadesh and kept an eye on our trading routes there. It is a dangerous area there with a lot of thieves and bandits. Last we heard though he and his family were doing well. Actually, the last word we got from him, he was sending in his official retirement scrolls. Zemti, well we can only really speculate. He was a visionary and heard of an oracle in Greece that was predicting events accurately. He decided to travel to Delphi and report on it."

"I thought the Greeks disliked our people."

"It was not an official voyage by any means of the imagination. It was his choice to go there, despite some our attempts to talk in out of it. We know he arrived at Delphi and was eager to see what Apollo, who is the Greek God of Sun, and what his temple there had to offer. He was particular curious what visions and prophecies he could hear. In his letter, he mentioned that inscribed on the temple was _Gnothi se auton, _which is Greek for Know Thyself. Following that letter, we never heard from him again and that letter came roughly two years ago."

"Is the oracle at Delphi real? Did he ever mention that in his letter?"

"He really did not say, but people seem to believe more in it than the legend of the divine children. We both know that legend to be true, which makes you wonder about their oracle some," Yugioh replied honestly. "The oracle could be real to those who are truly visionaries, like yourself, Ay, Bakura, and the others were. Anything is possible when magic and the gods are involved."

"Makes you wonder about a lot of things," Ruia replied. "Divinity is so complex and vast in its most general sense, yet it is narrowed down to being blessed to two people. Two people who do not even know one another nonetheless." She sat down, resting her back against the palace wall. "So the divinity tales you have read, has it ever mentioned a joining?"

"Define what you mean by a joining."

"A joining of countries I guess. The six most powerful children coming together from the three greatest civilizations – Greece, Rome, and of course Egypt. I have never read about it or even have someone remotely talk about the idea at all. It just bothered me that these chosen children could not put their differences aside to work towards a common good. You would think someone would have suggested the idea of working towards preserving the three civilizations. Each country is powerful in their own right: Rome for their literature, military, scholars, and politics, Greece for their knowledge, their ships, their architecture, and Egypt for our knowledge of mathematics, our system of government, religion, and so forth. Yet, the chosen children, despite our titles and duties, have never been able to look past the differences and concentrate on the larger issue in our hands."

"While your theory is a great idea, you are basing the whole concept on what we were so lucky to do ourselves, which is to find one another. It in everything I have studied, it has said that is one of the biggest challenges the children face. Maybe this is why that alliance has never formed – not everyone has found his or her soul mate. If they cannot find that person, how can they hope to find the other chosen children?

Ruia sighed. She understood what Yugioh was saying, yet it still did not seem to justify the end result. "I do not know why, but that just seems like an excuse to me. Why not travel to these lands and find the other chosen children? Surely we could not have been at odds with our neighbors all this time. Our duty cannot solely be about protecting our lands. It seems selfish. But maybe that is just how things are meant to be. It is tradition and I simply want to be the one who goes against the mighty Nile."

"Well if anyone can make this joining work Ruia, I have a feeling you will be the one to make it happen. You have all ready proven time and time again that you can break tradition and still have everything turn out all right. Why would our divinity be any different? I am not even going to try to differ you dreams. I have a feeling it would only make you more determined. Besides, I think it is a grand idea, just not entirely possible. It requires so many pieces of the puzzle to fall into place at exactly the right time."

"But by your words alone, you admit that the idea could indeed occur. It may require being in the right place at the right time, but the possibility still exists. The only thing preventing the union is our own failure to recognize the larger power and duties that we as divinity children have. Maybe it is impossible to find the other children, but if we never try, how are we to know for sure?"

"We cannot. It is as simple as that. Once again, I think I was taught the practical side of divinity while Ay must have concentrated on the spiritual and meaningful side of divinity," Yugioh replied. He chuckled, "if you put us together, I think you would have one complete Divine Child."

"But we are one, two souls, two minds brought back together to form one union – a complete being."

Soul mates," he added with a soft smile. "But I do not think we are going to learn all the answers that we seek here."

"Wait, I thought you wanted to see what each other knew about divinity and what not."

"I still do, but not here, not anymore. I think it is time we sought out the truth," Yugioh replied. "Ruia," he paused, "are you willing to leave the castle grounds without your guard?"

Her eyes lingered to his face. She could see that he was being completely truthful with her; there was no trace of humor in his expression anywhere. "I do not understand. Since our wedding, you have been stressing the importance that neither of us should go anywhere without our guards. Why the sudden change?"

"Because where we need to go to get our answers, well, lets just say the location is better left to secrecy." Yugioh paced the rooftop. "I normally would not even consider doing something this dangerous or reckless in your condition or with the threats against us, but this is a risk we may need to take to unlock your abilities. However, I will only do this if you are okay and understand that what you will see has to remain between us. You cannot tell anyone, including Anzu, Setto, Bakura, Honda, Jou, Athena, or anyone else in the palace."

Ruia contemplated his words carefully. She was not longer just risking her life, but the child's life growing inside of her as well. It was funny, she had not thought much about her father since the day she left, but every now and then she found understanding how hard it was for her father and mother raised her, even more so when her mother passed on to the next life. The fear and the worry about whether she was making the best decision for the both of them were constantly there. "We have to go, I mean we really have no choice. Who knows what damages I could cause our child, Egypt, and even my self if I remain untrained." She lowered her eyes in thought. 'There is the prophecy of the dark child to worry about as well. While I am still not convinced I am not that child, it could easily be our son or daughter. The only way to ensure all our safety is to be magically prepared, by any means necessary.'

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Q: You're actually alive?

A: Yes I actually am and still working on this story. This chapter had several set backs including two computer crashes, a college graduation, two real world jobs, and a host of other things that took time away from this chapter.

Q: Will you disappear for two years again?

A: Hopefully not. I have a few pages of the next chapter already written. I will just have to manage my time better with work ha and other things.

Q: Why isn't this like the Egyptian Arc?

A: I had this story outlined long before I saw the Egyptian Arc, though I plan to sneak in similarities, like I did with Yami's real name.

Q: Where are Yugioh and Ruia going?

A: To the greatest kept secret in Egypt, well maybe the second greatest secret in Egypt

Till next time…


End file.
